


The Courtship of Princess Rey

by Olpgurl



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Death, F/M, First Time, Hand Jobs, Kissing, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn, Vaginal Fingering
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-24
Updated: 2018-09-02
Packaged: 2019-04-27 13:20:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 40,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14426280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Olpgurl/pseuds/Olpgurl
Summary: Princess Rey Solo wants to help the galaxy, but her parents have conditions. Commander Poe Dameron wants to fly again, but you should be careful what you wish for.





	1. Chapter 1

“Are you sure this is what you want honey?” Leia asked for the third time

Princess Rey Solo, gave an exasperated sigh. Her recent trip to the outer rim had been revealing. Despite a life of privilege, her family had instilled a sense duty to the people. Both her and her brother Ben had been trained to serve in government by their mother and to serve the galaxy as Jedi from their uncle. The conditions Rey witnessed made her resolve to help. 

“For the last time, yes mother. You’re amazingly healthy and will be Queen for a long time. Ben is happy being in the senate and it’s good practice for when he becomes King. I’m absolutely sick of sitting here doing nothing. You were saving the galaxy when you were my age, I’m just sitting here in a palace being useless,” Rey stayed firmly. 

Queen Leia shook her head as if to clear it. “Rey darling, you’re hardly useless. You’ve done wonderful work here on New Alderaan. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be able to do half as much charitable work as queen. You’ve done so much to help Alderaan continue on since the Empire. My home was destroyed, what little of my people were scattered across the galaxy. It took a long time to get where we are now and you’ve been instrumental the last few years in that. ”

Rey spoke softly in reply, “But Alderaan wasn’t the only planet destroyed by then Empire. So many worlds were ravaged. We were able to recover, but not all of them were. It’s been decades and some planets are still so in need of relief. Jakku was horrible Mother, and I can’t in good conscience sit here in a palace when I could help.”

Leia rose from her chair and embrace her daughter. “Let me talk to your father sweetie.”

 

****

Commander Poe Dameron was incredibly bored. All he ever did these days was reports and plan drills. A trained fighter pilot did not do well with a desk job so the summons from admiral Ackbar was a welcome change. Poe hoped his request for a transfer was going to be approved. Despite the Empire’s defeat shortly after his birth, decades later there were still Empire sympathizers causing trouble.

“Please sit down commander,” the admiral said when Poe entered the fleet commander ‘s office. 

The pilot sat quickly in front of the admiral’s imposing desk. “You asked to see me sir?”

The Mon Calamari studied Poe for a moment before speaking. “I received a request several days ago from a dear friend. She’s looking a Fleet officer to fill a position on her planet. Since you requested a transfer, your name was one of those I submitted. She gave me the list of candidates she preferred, and you were her first choice. It would be a three month trial so to speak. As we aren’t technically at war, you’d be granted a leave of absence from the Navy and if you decided you liked the position, you would be honourably discharged from service to continue there. If not, you would of course be allowed to return to active duty.”

“Huh?,” Poe replied confused. “I hoped I would be transferred to the border skirmishes not be planet bound sir. The whole reason I requested a transfer was to fly again, not just go somewhere else.”

“Perhaps I should have explained what the requirements were commander,” Ackbar chucked. “I cannot tell you exactly what the position is but she asked for a decorated officer who is a skilled at hand to hand, shooting, able to tolerate extreme environments and is an excellent pilot. I do not think you would be planet bound for long.”

Poe Dameron is skilled at many things, but hiding his emotions isn’t one of them. He could feel the muscles in his face stretching into a large grin. “Admiral, I think I would love to meet your friend.”


	2. Chapter 2

“Happy beeps buddy, come on,” Poe spoke through the comm.” Just because we’re going in blind, doesn’t mean we’re in trouble.”

The x-wing’s alarm sounded, informing the pilot that they were almost at their destination. Poe dropped out of hyperspace, the planet of New Alderaan in view. 

“Attention unknown craft, please identify,” came over the comm. 

“Happy beeps,” Poe whispered to himself. “This is Commander Poe Dameron of the New Republic fleet, requesting permission to land.”

There was a moment of silence before the voice returned. “Permission granted Commander. Please wait for your landing coordinates.”

 

“Acknowledged,” the pilot replied. “See, all good BB8.”

With the coordinates set into the nav computer, Poe took the x-wing’s controls. The flight path was obviously taking him to the large city in view. He was rather surprised the he seemed to be going to the the building just on the outskirts. It looked like a palace. Poe landed his ship the the appointed bay and started shut down procedures. “Well no one is running in with blasters, so I guess we’re in the right place.”

He removed his helmet and released BB8 from the rear. “Stick close buddy, I don’t even know who we’re supposed to be talking to here.” The droid chirped in affirmation. 

Poe climbed out of the cockpit, and was surprised by the young woman standing by the nose of his ship. “Hello Commander Dameron, welcome to New Alderaan.”

“Uh, hi?” Poe replied. 

“My name is Connix, I’ll be assisting you today.” She made a small gesture and two men stepped forward.

One was obviously a tech, he stepped forward to finish shut down and removed the large duffel from the cockpit, handing it to the second man.

“Is the bag and the droid all you brought Commander? Please tell me you at least brought your dress uniform” Connix asked. At his nod, she spoke to the second man, “Please take Commander Dameron’s luggage to his suite and make sure there’s a charging station in his room. And please have the uniform pressed and ready, he has an audience with the Queen this afternoon.”

“I’m what?” Poe asked stunned. 

Connix gave Poe a smug smile, “Who did you think requested you here?”

 

*****

 

“A what?” Rey shrieked. 

“Pretty sure you heard me sweetheart,” her father replied. 

“A bodyguard? I’m one of the last Jedi left in the galaxy, I hardly think I need a bodyguard,” Rey fumed. 

“You’re also second in line for the throne, and since your brother doesn’t seem anywhere close to considering marriage, you need to be kept safe,” Leia reminded. 

Rey knew she was pouting, but the conditions her parents wanted were absurd. “Fine, I will agree to stick to New Republic planets, the tracking beacon and weekly check ins but the bodyguard isn’t necessary.”

Han and Leia shared a look. Three decades together gave them the ability to communicate without saying a word. “You realize Ben has a bodyguard? Chewy isn’t exactly the political type,” Han tried. 

“And even Jedi need help. Luke was always in trouble,” Leia added. 

“So why can’t uncle Luke come with me?” Rey replied. “We can keep each other out of trouble.”

 

“No can do kid,” her father replied. “New apprentice.”

 

“The commander is very capable honey, the admiral wouldn’t have given me his name if he wasn’t,” Leia added. 

Rey took a moment to think. Her family had always been over protective of her. They tried to keep her away from strangers in the past, maybe that could be an advantage. “We don’t know him though,” Rey spoke. “I think I’d be better off with Finn or one of the other royal guards.”

The queen rolled her eyes. “Nice try, but we choose someone who isn’t from Alderaan for a reason dear. Finn and the guards would never be able to tell you no.”

“What makes you think we can trust him then?” Rey asked. 

Leia gave her daughter a small smile, “My brother is always telling me to trust my feelings. As soon as I saw his file I knew he was the one.”


	3. Chapter 3

You’re a traitor Finn!” Rey shouted jokingly. She embraced her best friend tightly before the two left the royal family section of the palace. Finn Calrissian had been her best friend since childhood but she knew they had to remain in their official capacities once they are out in public. 

Finn released the princess with a smile. “Your parents aren’t stupid Rey, they know you’d find a loophole with the royal guards. Kriff, I’d be the worst bodyguard off planet. We both know you never listen to me. You’d just run into danger and I’d have to join in so my godparents don’t murder me,” he laughed. 

“Probably,” huffed Rey. “I’m just worried they’ll pick some stodgy old fool who will drone on about how everything I do is against protocol.”

Finn snorted, “You mean C3P0 as a person?”

Rey blanched. The image of a tall, very stiff man looking perpetually worried came to mind. “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.”

Finn chuckled, “Famous last words. I need to report for duty but I’ll meet up with you tomorrow.”

“Bye Finn,” Rey replied. The princess exited the family wing of the palace to a section reserved  
as quarters and offices for the royal guards, the family’s more trusted advisers and the occasional visitor. Rey nodded as her mother’s aide Connix walked by quickly. She swears the aide never stops moving, always going quickly from one errand to another. If Rey didn’t know better, she would think Connix was a droid. 

Speaking of droids, Rey noticed the small BB unit whizzing in her direction. The droid was unfamiliar, and far different than the usual protocol droids that were common in the palace. It stopped not far from her at the entrance to the sleeping quarters. Rey noticed it’s antenna wasn’t as it should be and walked over to it. 

“Hello little one,” Rey spoke to the droid, bending low so she would be closer to its size. “Your antenna is bent, would you like me to fix it?”

The droid rolled back slightly to look at her. Rey swore the droid was appraising her to see if she was a danger. It looked at her, then the door and back to her, it’s dome tilting sideways as if it was trying to figure her out. 

“You’re a paranoid little thing aren’t you?” Rey laughed. “What’s your name?”

The droid was quiet for a moment before chirping again. 

“Well hello BB8, I’m princess Rey Solo of New Alderaan,” Rey spoke formally. The droid beeped loudly in reply. Rey chuckled, “Yes, that princess. Now will you trust me fix that antenna of yours? My father is constantly fixing his old ship, so I’ve learned to love repairing things.”

The droid rolled forward, his dome dropping forward so she could reach it easily. Rey quickly repaired the slight bend. BB8 gave a small beep in thanks before chirping again. 

“Well you run along to your master then, I wouldn’t want you get into trouble,” the princess replied. The droid gave a slightly longer speech in reply. “I’m glad your master is kind to you BB8. Now go, I have to be a princess now,” Rey stated, rolling her eyes.

****

 

Poe had been confused when Connix had shown him his new quarters. They had to be twice the size of his room back at fleet headquarters. “Are you sure we’re in the right place?” he questioned. 

“Yes commander,” she replied. As if to prove him wrong the porter from earlier exited one of the doors on the right side of the room they were in. He was carrying Poe’s dress uniform in his arms. 

“I’ll be back shortly with this and the charging station sir,” the man said as he walked towards the exit. 

Poe could only nod. He turned to Connix, “What is going on? The admiral didn’t give me anything and apparently I’m supposed to meet up with royalty today. No one has explained exactly what this job is.”

“The queen wanted to explain the position to you personally,” she answered. “I’m her personal aide and I don’t even know the details. All I was told was to assist you for the next several days so you can settle in.” 

Poe could only nod again, waiting for information was hardly a new concept to the military man. Connix gave him a data pad, “It’s loaded with a map of the palace and protocol for meeting the royal family. I believe the queen also added files she thought you’d find useful. I’ll be back by 1500 if you have any questions before your audience. Please be dressed commander,” and she quickly left the room. 

The commander turned to his droid, “Kriff, the fleet could use more people like her.” He walked further into the room. It was set up as a combination living room/office. There was a desk in the corner and a comfortable looking couch and with some small tables in easy reach. Poe turned to the two doors on the right finding one was a bedroom and the other a private fresher. “I’m going to unpack and clean up buddy. Why don’t you go make sure black one is taken care of.” 

BB8 gave an affirmative and rolled off. Poe entered the bedroom and unpacked his duffle. Being in the military for most of his life, he didn’t have much. His clothes were quickly put away in the closet and what few keepsakes he knew he’d want for the three month mission were set on the night table. He grabbed his bag of toiletries and headed towards the fresher. 

Cleaned up and shaved, Poe entered the main room to see the charging station beside the desk and his uniform hanging on a hook beside the entrance to his quarters. BB8 hadn’t returned but he trusted his little droid would be back soon. 

He grabbed the data pad and settled into the sofa. Hopefully the files would give him a clue to what Queen Leia wanted him for. There was the map and protocols as promised as well as files regarding palace security procedures, short biographies of the family and other seemingly random files. _Well that’s no help._ Poe opened up the files regarding meeting with the royal family. Connix has only mentioned the queen but he figured he’d best be prepared. Thankfully there wasn’t anything too extreme, just more bowing than he was used to. He’d escorted enough dignitaries over the years to know the ropes already. He decided to open the family files next. A childhood spent listening to stories of Princess Leia Organa and General Han Solo from his father made him skip those files for the moment. Poe knew there was a prince close to his age and younger princess but little else. 

The prince’s biography was pretty cut and dry; a picture, name, birthday and list of achievements. Skilled pilot, Jedi training, political schooling and currently serving as New Alderaan’s senator were the highlights. Poe opened the princess’ file next. It was similar to her brothers and Poe had to remind himself they were also Luke Skywalker’s niece and nephew. _I might meet a kriffing jedi today._

BB8 finally entered his suite again, chirping excitedly. 

“You met who?”


	4. Chapter 4

Poe didn’t have much time to think about his droid having already met a member of the Solo family. Connix would be here soon and he need to change into his uniform. Promising the droid time after his audience, Poe grabbed his uniform and finished getting ready. The aide was prompt, knocking on his door before his chrono hit the appointed time. 

Marching past him as soon as the door opened, she asked if he had any questions. When the commander answered in the negative, the two were on their way. It was a short walk to the nearby set of doors. Poe noted the guards had the doors open before Connix arrived, deciding efficiency was the norm not the exception on New Alderaan. They walked through a far more opulent corridor but there were no people in sight. Connix stopped at the far end of the hallway and knocked. After a beat, she opened the door and asked him to wait. He was only in the hall for a minute when Connix returned, motioning for him to enter. If he was impressed with his new quarters before, he now felt like they might as well have been a closet compared to the room he was in now. Poe looked around at the art spread throughout the room larger than his entire quarters combined. Expensive looking fabric draped the large window at the far end of the room and multiple doors were on the left and right. The plush furniture looked very tempting to try. It took Poe a moment to realize Connix was speaking to him. 

“Did you hear what I said commander?” she asked with an amused tone. 

Poe shook his head, feeling a blush coming on. He’d felt completely out of his element since his talk with the admiral. “I’m just a little,” he trailed off, unused to his words failing him. 

“I know, it’s a little over the top. The people lost everything when the empire destroyed Alderaan. When they were finally able to rebuild, they wanted to give their Queen everything. It’s just for show, don’t let it intimidate you,” Connix said gently. “Just remember to bow after I introduce you and before you leave. And you can’t leave until you’ve been dismissed. Everything else is just common politeness .”

Poe took a deep breath, “Let’s get going before I lose my nerve.”

Connix gave a small smile and lead him to the first door on the left. The door slid open quietly and Poe got his first view of Queen Leia. He’d seen holos of her of course but they were mostly from before his mother died. She sat regally in an ornate chair situated on a small platform. A man who could only be Han Solo stood slightly behind her at attention. 

“Your majesties, please allow me to introduce commander Poe Dameron of the New Republic fleet. Commander, this is Queen Leia Organa Solo and prince consort Han Solo of New Alderaan,” Connix spoke as Poe did the prerequisite bow. 

“Thank you dear, please wait outside,” the queen stated. Her aide gave a small bow in answer and disappeared from the room. 

Poe stood at attention, hands held behind his back. He kept his eyes forward, looking directly at the queen. She in turn, looked directly back at him. The quiet seemed to stretch forever and finally Poe opened his mouth to speak, “So who talks first? Do you talk first? Do I talk first?” 

Embarrassment flooded him and his eyes dropped to the floor. _Of course, way to make an ass of yourself Dameron. Quiet all day and now my mouth starts working again._ He waited for the yelling to start, his mouth getting ahead of his brain was hardly a new experience. Instead he was surprised by the sound of laughter. 

“I love saying this; I told you so Han,” Leia chuckled. “He’ll be perfect for the job.”

With a large sigh, her husband replied, “Yes your worship, right as always .”

Poe raised his eyes back to the couple. They were sharing a look he still could vaguely remember seeing his parents give each other. The warm weight of his mother’s ring seemed to burn his chest for a moment. Being a fleet officer had left little time for love. 

“Get the chairs out Han, Kay is gone,” Leia requested. Her husband walked to the draperies and removed two folding chairs from behind them. Han passed one to Poe before setting the other beside his wife. 

“Sit kid,” he ordered. Poe automatically unfolded the chair, used to obeying commands. “Come here, we ain’t going to to bite. I hate this pomp stuff more than anyone. ”

The commander moved his chair as close to the platform as he could without actually being on it and sat down quickly. The closer distance made him turn his head between the two monarchs. He decided to push his luck, they hadn’t booted him out for his last slip. 

“So any chance I can finally be told what’s going on now?” he asked. 

The queen looked sadly at the young man in front of her. “You look more like Kes but you’re definitely Shara’s son. I should have tried harder to keep in contact with your father after the funeral. I’ve been a terrible friend to someone who was such an important part of my life.”

Poe took a moment to think before answering, “You had a planet to rebuild, hell the whole galaxy. Pretty sure mom would have understood, I know my dad did. How do you think I ended up in the navy?”

Leia gave a mirthless chuckle, “Duty first. Oddly enough that’s why you’re here. My daughter wants to help the galaxy, but she’s still so young in some ways. Our son Ben grew up all over the galaxy. New Alderaan was still being built, and we travelled a lot gathering resources and on diplomatic missions in the early days. He went away to train with Luke when we couldn’t ignore his powers growing. He had to go away for school since we didn’t have a university built yet. He never really spent his childhood here like Rey did. We never expected a second child, so by the time Rey was born, we had the ability to stay here and still give her the opportunities her brother had. She grew up surrounded by her people and hasn’t seen much of the galaxy. She wants that now but we need a way of protecting her while she does it.”

Poe was quiet for a moment after the queen’s speech. “So you want me to protect the princess? I’m not sure I’m really qualified for that your highness.”

Han spoke up, “You’ve got all the qualifications we wanted Dameron. Ackbar even added a few notes on your file that you think outside of the box and you’re one of the best pilots he’s ever seen.”

“And I can’t think of a better person to protect my daughter than the son of the woman who protected me,” Leia added. “I’m not a Jedi like my brother or my children but I do think there’s far to many coincidences to ignore. Please Commander? Please just give this a try.”

 

****

 

Rey loved quiet evenings. Nights where there were no state dinners, no staff rushing in and out carrying messages about this crisis or that emergency. When she entered the family section, it was mostly silent. The guards were of course present, insuring the family’s privacy. A few aides talking in the overly large hall, but the lack of whispering usually meant it was nothing more normal conversation. People and droids were simply going about their business usually signalled a quiet evening. Rey could go to her apartments and remove the overly complicated dress and simply have a family dinner with her parents. 

The princess hoped she could speak again with her parents about the bodyguard issue in private tonight. She really didn’t see the point of having someone else tag along but her parents were still being stubborn on the issue. She knew if she could just find a way to stall them longer she could come up with a plan. As much as she loved her family, she was feeling smothered. She just needed time away from her home world and the constant responsibilities of royalty to see what she could do on her own. Finn could come, if they absolutely insisted on her having a companion. He would have her back but let her have her freedom too. More than a decade of friendship meant the two were in sync. 

Her mother was unchaperoned at this age and fighting a war. She also happened to meet a handsome smuggler along the way. Rey only wanted a chance at adventure and be able to help the less fortunate. If a handsome man should come along, well that was just a bonus. Some time away from her family would do her a world of good. 

Rey entered her personal apartments and her maid assisted her with her dress and taking down the elaborate hairstyle. Rey took the simple robe next asking for her preferred tunic and leggings. A knock sounded at her door and the maid left her bedroom to see who it was after a quick look from her mistress. Her father appeared at her door a moment later. Rey dismissed the girl for the night, she knew something was wrong if he was here. 

“Hey honey,” Han said walking over to sit on her bed. “We’re having a last minute guest for dinner tonight.”

A loud groan escaped the princess, “So much for quiet.”

Han chuckled, “Relax sweetheart, it’s still just a family dinner. Wear your scruffy clothes, I sure as hell am.”

“So who’s our not so honoured guest?” Rey inquired. 

Han’s hand crept up behind his neck. 

_Well that’s never a good sign._

“Someone who might as well get used to seeing you in your favourite garb,” he answered. “You’ll probably only want to wear that when you go right?”

The realization crept slowly up her spine. “No, you didn’t,” Rey practically shrieked. “It hasn’t even been a week and you’ve hired someone!”

“You know your mother,” Han said soothingly. “She loves that you want to help, she’s just tying to make it easier for us to let you go. You know we can’t let you go unescorted and one guy is better than half the royal guard.”

“Mom never had that! I’ve had more training than her, why can’t I just go by myself?” Rey exclaimed. 

Han stared at his daughter in surprise, “Where the hell did you get that idea?”

Rey’s confusion was obvious. “All the stories you’ve both told me. It was usually you and mom on the Falcon. There was never any talk of guards dad.”

“Honey, those stories were usually us running for our lives. And Luke, Chewy and the droids were usually there too,” Han said. “We never bothered with the stories about how your mom was normally surrounded by generals and diplomats because those were boring. Most of the time she was on a separate cruiser surrounded by soldiers and staff sweetheart. Any mission she took was with at least one other person. She was too important to lose, just like you are.” Han stood up to pull his daughter into a hug. “We met him this afternoon and he seems like a good kid. Just give him a chance. He got a good recommendation and made your mom laugh harder than I’ve heard in a long time. ”

“Fine, but I’m not promising anything dad,” Rey said as she pushed her father away gently. “Give me a chance to get changed and I’ll go with you to dinner.”

Han left her room so Rey could change. She wondered what the man was like. If he made her mother laugh, the dreaded image of the Solo’s protocol droid was probably unfounded. Plus her father had called him kid so he must be younger than her parents. _Nothing to do but see him for myself._ Rey exited her room once she had changed and put her hair up in a more comfortable style and the pair left her suite. The family dinning room was next door to her parents rooms. Rey let her father enter first, giving her a moment to collect herself. 

Han moved to his usual seat at the foot of the table giving Rey her first glance at the man who would most likely be her constant companion for the foreseeable future.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since people asked, yes they finally meet in this one. 
> 
> ****

Poe had been surprised when the queen asked him to join the family for dinner but he supposed it would be easier to meet the princess this way. The three had had a long discussion this afternoon, speaking of what his duties would entail. He would be her pilot, protector and assistant essentially. It would take a few weeks to arrange their trip, the Queen wanted to have everything covered beforehand; lodgings, supplies, meetings and probably a thousand other details Poe couldn’t imagine. He and the princess would have time to adjust to each other and make the cover story more believable. Leia had insisted that only a select few know he was in fact princess Rey’s bodyguard, it would compromise her safety in some sectors if it was seen as she was traveling without a family member. Apparently there were still quite a few places in the galaxy where an unmarried woman wouldn’t be safe. Poe was to be a long time family friend and trusted completely by them. It wasn’t a perfect solution but far better story than saying he was paid to watch her. The story wasn’t strictly a lie either, he had in fact met the queen, her brother and prince consort before. He just needn’t mention it was so long ago, he was too young to remember. His parents had also been good friends with the three so the story could easily be made plausible. Only Poe, the family and a single royal guard would know everything. 

The only wild card Poe could think of was Connix. Admiral Ackbar had sworn Poe to secrecy during his initial meeting and the admiral would never betray Leia. The aide knew he wasn’t acquainted with the family. The queen had laughed at his concern, “I’ve been living in a royal court most of my life, I know how to do this commander. Kay’s been assigned to help you for the next few days. Trust me, word will get around quickly that the queen’s personal aide is escorting you everywhere. You’re staying in the wing of the palace reserved for only those trusted by my family. You’ll be the most notorious man on New Alderaan by the end of the week.”

Not particularly comforted by the though, he was happy to finally be dismissed. He found the aide still waiting for him after the long conversation. She rose from the sofa and headed towards him. She gestured to the door and the two walked back towards the exit. Efficient as ever, Connix rattled off his schedule for tomorrow as they walked him back to his room.

He had maybe an hour before he would need to head back for dinner. BB8 chirped in greeting and Poe gave his droid a small pat on the dome. Poe let his droid tell his story, speaking very little but enjoying feeling normal for the first time all day. He changed out of his uniform, happy to be rid of the thing. He knew he would probably need to wear it more often here at the palace. 

“Why don’t you power down for the night buddy, I’m pretty sure I’m going to crash once I eat,” Poe said. “Been a hell of a day for both of us.”

With BB8 taken care of, Poe headed back to the family’s quarters. The queen was standing outside speaking to the guards on duty, “There he is,” she spoke pointing at Poe. “This man has full access, please inform captain Antilles.”

The guard nodded and opened the door to let them inside. “What was that about?” Poe asked once the door closed. 

“Credibility commander,” Leia replied. “You’ve just been granted access to the most restricted section of the palace.”

Poe chuckled, “And here I thought military gossip was bad. Guess it’s the same everywhere.”

“Court gossip is far worse, believe me,” the queen replied. She stopped by a door close to the apartment where his audience had taken place. “Here we are commander. If we don’t have an official function, I expect you here at 0700 and 1900 for meals. Remember, we need to sell this.”

Poe entered the room behind the queen. The room contained very little, the majority of the space taken up by a large table. Leia motioned to one of the chairs once she had taken her own seat. Their earlier talk had been all business so the queen asked him to tell her how his father was fairing. He was more than happy to speak of Kes, telling Leia of life on Yavin 4 after Shara’s death. He was part way through a story when the door was opened by multiple droids carrying food and drinks. Poe assumed he should wait to start eating, the other two members of the royal family hadn’t arrived yet. 

When the door opened again, Poe shot to his feet. The prince consort entered, giving the other man an eye roll. Han sat down on the chair closest to the door. The pilot went to seat himself again when Poe noticed the woman entering behind him. She looked different from the holo on her file, simply dressed with her hair pulled up from her face but there was no mistaking Princess Rey. 

“Sit down, this is one of the few places we get to relax,” Han spoke gruffly. 

Poe immediately dropped back into his chair, “Sorry sir, I’m just,” Poe paused. “It’s been a long day.”

“Yeah, yeah. And drop the sir crap while your at it,” Han jested. 

It was Poe’s turn to laugh, “Even retired, you still outrank me General.”

Han opened his mouth but Leia interrupted. “You two can bicker all you want later. Preferably when I’m not there. It’s been a long day for all of us and I’d like to eat. But the niceties need to come first so commander, I think I should introduce you to our daughter Rey. Honey, this is Commander Poe Dameron.”

The princess gave him a tight smile so Poe gave her one in return. _Great start, laser brain._

Ever the diplomat, Leia saved them from the awkward silence. “Poe has been catching me up on his father.”

“I don’t think I’ve seen him since Endor, how is the old man?” Han asked. 

This was a subject he could handle. Poe spoke of his father for the entire dinner. Leia and Han interrupted occasionally to ask questions or add their own memories of Kes. He tried not to notice that the princess said nothing the entire meal. When the droids returned, their dishes were cleaned away and dessert was brought in. 

“I can’t possibly eat another bite. Could you escort me to the gardens dear, I think I should take a walk tonight,” Leia said to her husband. He rose to take her arm but the queen placed her hand on her daughter’s shoulder first. “You have your dessert sweetie, you barely touched your dinner. You and the commander can get to know each other better too. ”

The two women seemed to be having a battle of wills in front of his eyes. They stared at each other intently for a few moments, before the princess sighed. “Yes, of course. Enjoy your walk.”

 

****

 

Her parents left the room, arm in arm. _Mother really doesn’t do subtle well at all._ Rey had been silent during dinner but she had definitely been listening. The man before her spoke most of the meal, and she’d been able to get a bit of insight. He was funny without trying too hard, polite without seeming to suck up and to her annoyance, her parents obviously liked him very much.

They had to have known the commander’s father back during the rebellion days, but she was certain she’d never heard the name Dameron before today. Rey didn’t want to sit in silence with the man, her mother would be upset and she had promised her father to try.

So of course when she opened her mouth to speak, he did too. Rey gave a laugh,”Please, you first.”

“You’re the princess, you should go first,” he replied. 

Rey couldn’t help the small smile, “But you’re the guest. And since I’m the princess, I should get my way.”

That made him laugh. “Fine, you win. Since you’re the princess, I need you to tell me who do I speak to about complaints with your garbage droids?”

Rey was certain she looked completely ridiculous. Of all the possible questions he could have asked, that wouldn’t have made the top million. Her mouth opened and shut before she finally settled with the only possible answer, “What?”

“Who do I go to about complaints?” he asked again. “I got spend what little time I had between meeting your parents and dinner listening to a rant in binary. And thanks by the way.”

“Are you always this confusing?” Rey asked. “I’m starting to think you’re completely insane.”

“I’m not crazy, just need some sleep. Let’s try this again,” he said. “A garbage droid crashed into my droid and called him a not so nice name. You apparently fixed him up. Then he ranted about it to me. Well the rude part, not you fixing his antenna. He likes you but I still want to complain about my droid learning a new word.”

Rey couldn’t help but laugh. “BB8 right? Orange and white, a little paranoid?” she asked. 

“Paranoid? BB8 isn’t usually that way,” Poe replied. “Maybe if he hadn’t just been assaulted.”

“Well I guess I’ll find out for myself,” Rey spoke. “I’m assuming you’ll want your droid around often?” The princess almost groaned out loud, she wasn’t ready to think about how much time she would be spending with commander Dameron. 

Apparently he wasn’t either. “We can talk about that later. From what the queen said, we won’t be leaving right away. You’ll get a chance to meet BB8 again. Sometimes starting over is best. First impressions are usually wrong in my experience. ”

Rey took a moment to observe him before speaking. “You really think so?”

“I do,” he said. He rose from his chair, walking around to her side of the table. He extended his hand to her, “Hi, I’m Poe.”

She rose from her chair to take his hand, “I’m Rey.”

The princess knew she was in trouble when she saw his smile. He looked embarrassed but happy when he replied, “I know.”


	6. Chapter 6

Rey wasn’t used to touching someone outside her family circle. The commander’s hand was warm, holding her hand gently but firmly. The moment stretched out, broken abruptly when Poe finally took his hand away to cover a yawn. “We should both be heading to our quarters I think. I still need to make my report for my mother about this afternoon’s trade meeting.”

“Yeah, I’ve got a full day tomorrow according to my new drill sergeant,” Poe replied. 

Rey’s eyebrow arched up. “That’s a new name for my mother.”

He raised his hands in surrender, “No, no, no. I meant that Connix woman, she’s kinda scary.”

The princess laughed, “You’re doomed. You should definitely get some rest then Commander Dameron.”

He gave a slight bow and said a quick good night before leaving the dining room. _Well he seems alright so far, only time will tell._ She was slightly annoyed that the man did seem to know more about their trip than she did. 

Rey returned to her rooms to settle in for the night. She took her data pad to bed with her, quickly entering her notes from this afternoon’s meeting. She hoped they would would able to finish up the trade agreement in a day or two. Her mother had promised once the negotiations were completed, Rey could concentrate on where she would travel. 

Despite her shock from the night before, the princess slept well. Her maid was ready to help her dress and style her hair. Rey couldn’t resist the message she sent to Connix, she wanted to see what commander Dameron would do. She checked for any new messages before heading back to the dining room. 

Finn was already there, nursing a caf. Connix was there as well, eating her meal while checking her own pad. The three said good morning before Rey poured herself a caf and she sat at her usual seat. 

“So what did I miss last night?” Finn asked. “I hate the afternoon shift, the mess hall dinner is never as good as what you guys have.”

“So glad you only eat with us for the food,” Rey snarked. “I’ve be sure to tell mom to stop inviting you.”

“Don’t be like than,” Finn grinned. “I love you guys. I just like good food better.”

Rey rolled her eyes and decided to start eating. Her parents entered soon after, taking their usual seats. Han spoke to Finn, most likely asking about how things were with the guards. As he hadn’t been born to royalty, the prince consort preferred to stay out of the diplomatic arena. He stuck to his strengths, coordinating with the royal guard, the New Republic fleet and other military matters. New Alderaan tried to uphold their peaceful values but the queen had learned her lesson. The planet had no army of its own, but she had ensured the New Republic fleet had a extensive and well funded base located near the palace to protect the planet if need be. 

Her mother also took her usual chair. As soon as the queen was seated, Connix launched into her daily morning brief. Rey made sure to listen in, their trade negotiations would come up. They were well into their discussion when she was startled by laughter at the other end of the table. Finn and the Commander were both laughing while her father had his head down, hand behind his neck. Rey had completely missed the man entering the room. 

“Do I want to know gentlemen?” her mother asked. 

“Man stuff, Leia,” Han replied. “You just keep your committee going.”

The Queen gave her husband what most of the palace staff had dubbed ‘The Look’. Han cocked his head to one side and smirked. 

“Well I’ve got some reports to do,” Finn said, standing quickly. 

“I forgot my data pad, I’ll go with you,” Rey said. 

Connix rose as well. “We should start our tour Commander,” Kay spoke.

They all left the dinning room, with Poe lagging behind. They stopped in the hallway, well clear of the dining room door. 

“What just happened?” Poe asked. 

Finn chuckled, “Round one. If I had a credit for every time they fought, I could buy my own planet. You see that going down, get out of the way fast.”

“So my dad’s stories were true,” Poe laughed. “I need to ask him again about the kissing a Wookiee thing.”

“What?” the three asked in unison. 

“I can’t remember how it goes, something about the two of them screaming at each other in the middle of the base on Hoth,” he replied. “Actually, there seemed to be a few stories about them screaming at each other.”

“Your father was on Hoth? Why am I surrounded by the second generation of rebels?” Kay asked exasperatedly. 

Poe looked to Finn, “You too?”

Rey sighed, of course he father didn’t bother to introduce them properly. “Commander Dameron this is my parents godson, Finn Calrissian.”

“Calrissian? As in Lando?” Poe asked in awe. 

Finn nodded sadly. 

“I’m sorry Finn. I didn’t know. I get it thought, I mean my mom, but I get it,” Poe flustered. 

“Naw, no worries man,” he replied. “It sucks but it was a long time ago. And hey, I got to move into a palace with a the galaxy’s most famous couple, broody older brother and annoying little sister.”

Rey smacked her best friend on the arm. “I’m not annoying!”

Finn shrugged, looking completely unrepentant. 

“I think we should get started Commander,” Connix interrupted. “We’re already behind schedule.”

The pair said their goodbyes, before leaving the family wing. 

“Guess I know why you never answered my question about last night. Who is he?” Finn asked. 

“My new bodyguard,” the princess replied. 

 

****

 

“Mind if we grab my droid?” Poe asked. “I need to get him plugged in so he can get maps of the city and the palace. I’m sure you have better things to do than show me around.”

“Queen Leia explained your situation to me last night Commander,” Connix replied. “You’re supposed to be seen with me remember? We can get your droid of course but you’re stuck with me. My job is to help the Queen in any way she sees fit, and right now that means getting you ready for life at court.”

Poe sighed. “I’m going to hate this aren’t I?”

Kay gave a brief smile. “Probably.”

He returned to his room to fetch BB8. Connix showed him where the droid could download the needed data. It only took a few moments so the two were on their way. They toured the officers wing first, and Poe was introduced to Captain Antilles who was head of the royal guard. The man’s family had served Alderaan for generations apparently. The captain was happy to meet Poe, and seemed to have no problem telling him he’d run an extensive background check. Poe was amused rather than insulted, happy to know his new position would be easier if the royal guards were competent. Connix explained once they’d left the office that Finn would be his liaison, as he had a close relationship with the family he could pass on any security issues to Poe directly without the rest of the guards knowing who the commander really was. The queen didn’t want the guards to feel that Poe was stepping on anyone’s toes. 

Their tour continued to the main sections of the palace. Library, throne room, ballroom and several other public rooms were included. Poe could already feel eyes watching him. He tried hard to ignore the attention, slipping into his cocky flyboy persona. The two stopped for a late lunch in a large mess hall near the entrance to the palace. The room was for staff and visitors alike. He doubted he would use it much if he was to eat most of his meals with the royal family. Poe was pretty sure Kay had only brought him here to show him off some more. 

They headed to the hangar next. Poe took a moment to check on black one, he doubted he’d be able to fly her much. Connix was waiting by a top of the line speeder, BB8 already in the back. 

“I assumed you’d want to pilot it Commander Dameron,” Kay said as he approached. 

It wasn’t his x-wing, but Poe wasn’t about to be picky. “You assumed right. So where are we going?” Poe asked. “You’re going to have to navigate.”

“The royal dressers,” she replied. “You’ll need to attend several functions with the family and offworld. You can’t always wear your uniform, it wouldn’t be appropriate.”

_Kriff._

They entered the speeder and left the palace. Their destination was a large building, the front windows displaying clothing that was far more elegant than Poe was used to. Once the droid was told to wait with the speeder, they went inside the shop. Poe knew immediately he was underdressed. There weren’t many people there but they seemed put out at his appearance. 

Kay took no notice as she approached the counter. She spoke clearly so everyone could hear, “I have an appointment with the royal dresser. I requested a private room.”

“Of course Miss Connix, we have everything ready. Is the Queen waiting outside?” the assistant asked. The woman glanced distastefully at Poe. “Really Miss Connix, the escort for her majesty is unnecessary. She is perfectly safe here. ”

“He’s very necessary,” Connix replied harshly. “Commander Dameron and his family are longtime friends of both of their majesties. The appointment is for him as he’s come to live at court. Now we’d like to see Lady D’Acy immediately, the commander has dinner plans with the royal family tonight and the Queen does not like to be kept waiting.”

Poe held his head up high, clueing into Connix’s plan. He really wished she had warned him about this. He almost felt bad for the assistant, she had paled considerably. He found himself rushed into a large room, and seated on a comfortable chair. He declined the offered wine, and asked for water instead. He regretted the decision soon after. Once Lady D’Acy and several assistants entered the room, Poe spent the next few hours being measured, poked, draped and dressed. He was forced to stand still while the women decided what styles and colours suited him best. He was mostly silent but Connix had no problem speaking for him. He knew the small tidbits of information she gave today would be spread. He was infinitely glad when they were finally able to leave. 

“Please tell me we’re done for the day,” Poe asked when we’re back in the speeder. 

Connix laughed. “You make it sound like I sent you off to battle Commander.”

“Battle is less stressful,” Poe said.


	7. Chapter 7

The rest of the week passed in a blur. Poe’s next day was occupied with Connix, the highlight being taken to see the cruiser he and the princess would take on their journey. The majority of the day had been spent going over exactly what his position required. He began officially the next day. When the princess was in the family wing, Poe would spent his time reviewing data for their trip. Planets needed to chosen and Poe used his fleet contacts to rule out any that could be potentially dangerous. He met with Finn daily, going over any security concerns here but New Alderaan was thankfully very safe. The two became fast friends and Finn was invaluable at giving Poe clues to understanding the princess. He saw her at least twice a day at meals but unless she left the palace, Poe had no reason to see her. The royal guard was in charge of keeping her safe here in the palace. 

He wasn’t entirely sure what to think of her. He could tell she was far more comfortable when they were with her parents, Finn or Connix but princess Rey was never rude or ignored him. The few times Poe had escorted her out of the palace, she was polite but not as friendly as the first time they were alone together. He doubted she was shy, she had no problem speaking to others as he watched her out in public. From what Finn had told him, she was unhappy about having a bodyguard foisted on her. He could only assume that an intelligent, talented and beautiful woman like her really didn’t want an older, cocky pilot trailing her everywhere. Especially one who had a habit of putting his foot in his mouth. He was lucky at least that most of the family seemed to enjoy his habit on rambling on. He definitely didn’t know what to make of being given the name of the man responsible for the palace droids from Connix. The princess was the only one who knew about BB8’s mishap so she must have told the aide to investigate. 

At least today was his last work day of the week. The royal family took the final day off every week unless there was an emergency. The queen decided it would make sense that Poe shared the same schedule. The family usually stayed in the palace to spend time together without having guards and staff underfoot. Having buried himself in reports the last few days, he was looking forward to it. All that was left was tonight’s dinner with the leadership of the fleet base on Alderaan. Poe needed to order an extra dress uniform or two so being introduced to whoever was in charge would make his life easier. He also hoped he could convince them to let him take up his x-wing with their squads, he missed flying.

Poe was the first to arrive in the dining room. He played absentmindedly with him chrono until he heard the door open. Finn and princess Rey entered next, arm in arm. Poe felt a small stab of jealousy at their easy relationship. _Of course they’re close, they were raised together. You can’t expect her to be that comfortable with you yet._ When the door opened again, Poe rose so quickly, his chair almost toppled over. 

“Well, well. If it isn’t Poe Dameron,” the newest entrant spoke. “I’m glad to see you’re still alive, your battle plans tended to be on the verge on suicidal back in the day. I never could quite get you out of that self sacrificing mindset.”

Poe knew he was beaming. “I’m glad you’re still flouting regulations commander Holdo,” Poe replied, pointing at her colourful hair. 

“It’s vice admiral now actually,” she replied with a grin. “Did you really think I would let those boring old boys get the best of me?” 

“Well I see you two have already met,” Leia said amusedly. 

Poe noticed the royal couple entering the room from behind the admiral. Poe was glad the only remaining seat was beside him. He had always appreciated her sarcastic humour. 

“So how do you know each other?” Han asked. 

“He started a mutiny on my ship,” Holdo replied calmly. 

Poe couldn’t stop his laughter. The shock on their faces was something he’d never forget. Thankfully the droids hadn’t brought their food in yet, or he’d most likely be wearing someone’s drink. “She was one of my instructors at the academy,” he spoke once he’d calmed down. “Holdo taught a bunch of tactics classes and we did a lot of simulations. Don’t worry, there was no actual mutiny.”

“I hope so commander, for your sake,” Leia said. “She and I go way back.”

“Oh he knows Leia,” the admiral replied. “We covered several rebellion fights in class. It’s always good to review battles after the fact. We’d go over what worked and what didn’t and why. Actually I was impressed with his plan, he convinced several of his friends to help and they managed to link up their simulators. I always taught my students that following orders isn’t necessarily the right thing. Look at what happened at Scarif. If they all hadn’t disobeyed orders, we probably wouldn’t be here.”

The rest of the conversation flowed easily tonight. The three older members of the party talked of their rebellion days, with Finn and Poe adding small tidbits they had been told from their own parents. Poe noticed the princess was mostly silent, like the night they had met. He really wasn’t sure what to make of that. 

Dinner completed, everyone said their good nights and soon filed out to leave the room. Poe placed a hand on Holdo’s arm to stop her. “Actually admiral, I was hoping I could head over to the base tomorrow. I wanted to talk to the commander there, I had no idea it was you.”

“Why not tonight?” she asked. “I never know what will happen day to day. Being in command would be far more enjoyable if I didn’t have any subordinates.”

“Hard to be in command if there’s no one to order around though,” Poe chuckled. “We can head to my room if you’d like, it’s more comfortable than in here.”

“Well then Poe, lead the way,” the admiral said. 

Finn and Rey were still in the hall, chatting quietly when he exited the dining room. “My room’s not far Admiral,” he spoke. 

“I think you can call me Amilyn now Poe. I’m not your commanding officer and I’m certainly not your teacher anymore,” she said. 

Poe nodded to Finn and Rey as he passed them. The princess looked upset, but Finn looked unconcerned so he continued his conversation. “I’m pretty sure you’ll have to order me to do that.”

“First you invite me to your room and now you’re asking me to order you around,” Holdo said archly. “You do realize you could give a woman the wrong idea?”

Poe’s laughter rang out. 

 

****

 _She wasn’t jealous, she was sure of it. Just because Commander Dameron had charmed her parents, stolen her best friend and could actually make the unflappable Connix giggle didn’t mean she was jealous. And she wasn’t angry. Just because he also happened to be the perfect protector so far, staying close but never hovering and being completely polite while never overstepping her boundaries didn’t mean she was upset that he might actually be perfect for the job. She was just annoyed. Maybe. Just a little bit._

_And the damned droid. It was completely unfair that a grown man could be that adorable to a giant ball. The first time she had seen the two together, the commander had rushed over to his droid, dropped to his knees and rubbed BB8’s belly. In public. Completely in view of of guards, staff and whoever else had been there. Without a hint of embarrassment. It hadn’t been a one time thing either. Every time she saw them together, Dameron was touching or talking to the droid like a pet._

_But tonight had been the last straw. Holdo has always been a bit quirky. She knew the woman was eccentric with her ever changing hair colour and refusal to wear a uniform but watching her flirt with a man who had to be half her age. And he’d enjoyed it. Bastard. And taking her his room? She really didn’t want to think about that._

_Ben would hate him. So, so much. At least that was comforting._

Rey took a deep breath, her internal monologue was not a good sign. She had been neglecting her training lately if her emotions were this scattered. Poe Dameron had only been here a week and he’d somehow managed to completely insert himself into her life and flip it upside down.

She decided to try meditating, walking to the large window in her room equipped with a door that lead to a private balcony. It was still warm outside this time of year, so she could sit outside and still be comfortable. 

She tried hard to clear her mind, allowing herself to simply feel. It took longer than normal but Rey finally found the balance she desperately needed. 

The next morning arrived, with the sun shining brightly. It would be the perfect day to spend away from the commander. She could collect herself after breakfast and spend some time practicing with her lightsaber and work off her aggressions. Maybe she could convince her father to work on the Falcon this afternoon. 

When she arrived at breakfast, she noticed that Connix was there. It was unusual for her to dine with them on their rest day unless something had happened.

“Don’t worry honey,” her mother said. “Poe had some errands to run today, so I invited Kay to join us instead.”

The family made their plans for the day. Han agreed with her plan to spend the afternoon tinkering with his beloved ship if she joined them for an early lunch in their quarters. Her mother mentioned something about a show.

She returned to her room to retrieve her lightsaber. It was days like this when she truly missed her brother, no one else at the palace could spar with her. She went to the guards training room, it was the best place for her to practice. The spacious room was usually empty in the morning, giving her space and quiet to practice her forms. She went through the motions her uncle had taught her, before practicing against a training dummy, trying to get as close as possible with her lightsaber without actually hitting her target. 

Rey returned to her room and used the fresher and changed into something suitable for getting dirty in. Maintenance on the Falcon usually left her a greasy mess. She arrived at her parents room and her father escorted her to their balcony. Lunch for three was already set out on the small metal table they had outside. 

“I thought we were going to watch a holo?” the princess asked. “Why are we outside?”

“Amilyn messaged us this morning,” her mother replied. “She thought we might enjoy today’s maneuvers. She finally got all her squads equipped with the navy’s sim program.”

The fleet had developed a program to train their pilots with a far more realistic feel for combat. As it was still new, it hadn’t been distributed to all their bases. It allowed pilots to actually fly their crafts and shoot without damaging their ships and injuring the pilots. If a ship was hit, a message was sent to the pilot to return to base. If the ship had a droid, it went even further by having it simulate the damage, teaching the pilot continue to fight if the damage wasn’t severe enough to cause a crash. 

As the base was nearby, maneuvers were often performed in view of the palace. Rey had always enjoyed watching the ships perform complicated dives and rolls from her own balcony. Leia had forbidden her and Ben from even attempting to learn to fly any combat craft. They both could fly other ships, their father was one of the most famous pilots in the galaxy after all but the queen had put her foot down for anything more dangerous. Watching her brother continuously get in his x-wing and lose friends was her main reason, she couldn’t bear the thought of her children in that situation. 

It didn’t take long for a squadron of a-wings to appear in the sky, trailed by a lone x-wing. “Did the admiral finally get her wish?” Rey asked. “I didn’t think we had any x-wings on base.”

“No, she still working on it,” her father replied. “Poe and Amy had a chat last night after dinner, he mentioned wanting to get some practice time in so she jumped at the chance.”

Rey blinked. “Commander Dameron is in the x-wing? I thought he was ground forces, why else would you hire him?” she asked. 

“Didn’t we explain it to you? Poe learned both from his parents,” Leia replied. “His father was a pathfinder and I’ve told you enough stories about his mother Shara. She taught him to fly when he was little, and he took to it completely. Ackbar told us he’s one of the fleets best pilots.”

“Oh,” Rey mumbled, suddenly her world making perfect sense. She had heard the name Shara Bey many times from both her mother and uncle. She knew if the woman hadn’t died, she would have been a large part of her life, the twins had both cared for her deeply. If she had lived, Rey would have met Poe Dameron years ago, probably would have been just as close to him as Finn. His attachment to BB8 was now crystal clear as well. The only other person she had known who was that fond of their droid was her uncle Luke. R2 was treated like a dear friend, having saved Luke’s life on multiple occasions. Pilots needed to trust their droids completely in battle. 

Rey returned her attention to the sky. The a-wings were getting into formation while Poe seemed to be on his own. The base must have given them the go ahead because suddenly the royal family was watching a vicious battle. The x-wing shot away impossibly fast from the group before making an impossible turn to take out several ships in quick succession. He used New Alderaan’s terrain to his advantage, avoiding multiple blasts from the remaining a-wings. It seemed to take no time at all for him to take out the entire squadron, having been hit only twice. He had managed some amazing maneuvers, alternating between offensive and defensive flying. BB8 has obviously disabled one of the guns on the first hit and lowered his speed on the second but Poe still managed to win. The final a-wing and Poe’s x-wing both turned around, heading back to the fleet base. 

“The kid’s pretty good. Not as good as me but impressive,” her father boasted. “Good to know old Ackbar was telling the truth.”

Her mother gave a very unladylike snort. “Luke would have had trouble pulling that off, and he’s a Jedi. Poe would have clobbered you.”

She was not in the mood for her parents bickering. She desperately wanted to time to think and pulling the hyperdrive apart for the hundredth time would be perfect. “Falcon dad,” Rey interrupted. “You two can fight later.”


	8. Chapter 8

Rey made sure to open the hanger doors to the family’s private hanger. It was always a good idea, the Falcon had a habit emitting smoke on occasion so they had learned to prepare in advance. Han was busy pulling the large dust cover off, balling it up to replace it later. They both set to work, her father doing some minor repairs to the hull, and Rey concentrating on the hyperdrive. She had been working for some time so she pulled herself up to get a drink. Rey exited the Falcon, noticing her father wasn’t in sight and his tools left carelessly on the floor of the hanger.

She found her drink and took a sip, the water refreshing after the heat of the ship. She walked to the entrance, curious to see where her father had gone. Han was on the ladder of the black x-wing, speaking to Poe. He seemed to be showing her father the controls of his ship, pointing at various spots inside the cockpit from his seat. Rey saw the familiar BB unit rolling around the base of the ship. If her meditation had done anything, it showed her that she had been unfair to the commander, it was time to start making up for it. Rey walked towards BB8 and the droid beeped happily in greeting. 

Kneeling down, she greeted him back. “And hello to you too. How’s your antenna doing?” The droid lowered his dome to show her. “It looks good.” She stood up to find both men watching her. 

Han stepped off the ships’s ladder. “I never could understand binary. You’re the only one of us who bothered learning it.”

“Well you sent 3P0 off with Ben, I needed to learn it to understand R2. I’d started training with uncle Luke by then,” Rey answered logically. 

Poe had exited his x-wing, jumping off the ladder. He was flushed still from his flight, his hair in disarray from the helmet. “I’m standing here with Han Solo talking about 3P0, R2 and Luke Skywalker. What’s next, flying the Millennium Falcon?” he said jokingly. 

“I might actually let you fly her, that was some pretty impressive stuff today,” Han replied. “Well copilot anyways.”

Rey normally would have said he was an attractive man but with his mouth open in shock, the effect was slightly ruined. 

“You?” Poe cleared his throat and tried again. “You still have the Falcon? She still flies?”

“Yes,” her father spoke at the same time as she replied, “Occasionally.”

The commander looked back and forth between them. “Can I see her?”

Han nodded his head at the hanger,”Go for it kid, just don’t touch anything.”

Rey laughed as the commander dropped his helmet and sprinted towards the hanger, his faithful droid right behind. 

“Go make sure he doesn’t steal my ship sweetheart,” Han said. “I’m going to go check on your mother.”

She gave him a quick peck on the cheek before following the pilot. She entered the hanger to see that he was practically caressing the Falcon’s nose, chatting to his droid too softly for Rey to hear. 

“I thought my father said no touching commander Dameron,” she said. 

His hands dropped immediately from the ship, turning quickly to face her. “Sorry!” he practically shouted. If he had looked flushed before, it was ten times worse now. 

“I’m just teasing you,” she chuckled. “I’m pretty sure he just meant the controls. Why I’ve been put on babysitting duty.”

“I can go inside?” he asked excitedly.

She laughed again and walked up the ship’s ramp and Poe was behind her almost instantly.  
Rey gave him a tour of the ship, ending it in the cockpit. She could see his uncertainty, so she gave him a slight smile. It was all the encouragement he needed to jump into the pilot seat. She seated her self in Chewie’s usual chair. She knew she should be the one to start the conversation if she was going to make things right. 

“I guess I never really thought about it,” Rey said. At his confused look she continued, “That other people would care about the Falcon. It’s always just been my dad’s temperamental ship.”

“No, this is amazing. If half the people I went to the academy with knew I was in here right now, they’d murder me,” he joked. “My dad helped bring down the shields for the second Death Star but your dad was the one in charge of the mission. Yeah I heard a bunch of stories about his other missions but he was just a sergeant. Your parents helped lead the rebellion to save the galaxy. Your uncle is a Jedi. Your family is damn near legendary. The ship too.”

“I suppose so,” Rey replied. “They’re just my family, I don’t really think about them that way. But I grew up with other stories too. Quite a few of them about a very brave woman who protected my mother and helped my uncle steal a Force tree.”

Poe looked at her intently. “They talked about my mom?”

“A lot actually. I didn’t know Shara Bey was your mother until today,” Rey said quietly. “I didn’t even know you were a pilot until this afternoon. Apparently I don’t know very much about you at all.”

“We only met a week ago and haven’t spent much time together you highness,” Poe replied. “All you really need to know is I love to fly, I can be a cocky jerk sometimes and I’m loyal to my friends. And I’m kind of a neat freak but that’s a military thing. If you don’t put your stuff away, it goes missing. Oh, and I never know when to shut up. Feel free to throw something at me if I’m driving you crazy.”

Rey gave a small laugh, “Yes I did figure the last one out on my own. I’m just the spare, I’m not that interesting.”

“The spare what?” he asked. 

“You know, the heir and the spare,” she answered. “It’s my job to take my brother’s place basically.”

“Okay but you’re more than just that. What do you like?” Poe asked. 

She thought for a moment. “I don’t think anyone’s ever asked me that before.”

“What? You’ve got to have a hobby or something,” Poe said. “What do you for fun?”

I like,” she paused. “Well I really like fixing things. I like to fly too.”

“What else?” he asked. 

“I love to spar,” she said sadly. 

 

****

 

_This was the dumbest idea ever. What made me think I could ever beat a Jedi?_

 

Poe was glad they had finally found some common ground. Rey had opened up that day, weeks ago. They were only days away from their voyage and the pair had a tentative friendship. She still wasn’t completely relaxed with him but Finn provided an excellent buffer. The three were often together, whether it was showing Poe the sights of New Alderaan or simply relaxing in the palace. Poe and Rey did have a new daily ritual though, sparring. Every morning after breakfast, he would train with the princess. And by train he meant having his kriffing ass handed to him. His mouth had yet again gotten him into trouble.

“You love to spar? Well, I could probably use some hand to hand practice. I’d be a pretty terrible bodyguard if I can’t actually fight. I’ve gotten too used to blasters,” he said casually. “I bet you’re good, Jedi training and all. Guess I’m only around since it must be hard to fight in those damn dresses you wear.”

She gave him a small smile, “The guard’s training room tomorrow morning. I’ve missed having a partner.”

The next day, Poe had gone to breakfast as usual and the princess was already eating when he arrived. She was dressed elegantly, signalling he would probably need to escort her out today. Once everyone had finished their meals, they said their goodbyes to attend their duties. Rey had fallen into step with him. 

“Are we going somewhere today?” he asked. “Connix didn’t mention anything. Please tell me we aren’t going shopping, I don’t ever want to set foot in that place again. ”

“I’m hurt Commander,” she pouted. “You forgot our appointment.”

Poe stopped dead in the middle of the hall. “You want to fight? You’re all dressed up!” He gestured up and down at her as if to prove his point. Rey gave him a brilliant grin, and continued walking. 

She headed straight to the training room, Poe having no choice but to follow behind. She headed to a door inside the room and retrieved two large poles, handing him one. He took it out of reflex, having no clue what else to do. 

“I’m pretty sure hitting the person I’m protecting is a no-no,” he said. “I can train with one of the guards if you’re worried. I’m not that out of practice really. Promise. ”

“Are you scared Commander?” she teased. 

“Of getting fired? Yes,” he replied. “Do you have the death penalty here? I’m not breaking like a bunch of laws right now right?”

“No to the death penalty and I can pardon you for the law breaking. One of the perks of being royalty,” she said sweetly. 

Poe sighed, “I’m not getting out of this am I?”

“Nope,” was her reply. 

And so it began, his daily losing streak. The princess was lethal with the damned staff, dressed in whatever kind of clothing. After a week of bruises from the damn thing (both to his body and his ego), Poe suggested they try without weapons. It had lead to him experiencing his first flight without the aid of a ship as she simply used the force to throw him against a wall before he could even get near her. He quickly decided he liked the staff better. 

Finn of course found out, he thought it was hilarious. They’d had to start locking the door to keep him from watching. Or trying to sell tickets. Despite the ribbing he got from his friend, Poe couldn’t regret his decision to keep sparring. Every bump, bruise and cut was well worth it. The princess was a completely different person when she fought. The best word that came to mind was magnificent. There was no uncertainty left in her, and Poe realized he had never really seen her true smile or real laughter before now. Sure he’d seen her happy but in the training room, Rey was joyful.

_What’s a few bacta patches to me? This might have been my best idea ever._


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I totally admit I’m a Jane Austen whore, there had to be a ball. And fluff.
> 
> May the fourth be with you!

Everything was ready, they would finally be leaving tomorrow. Of course they had one more hurdle to jump, apparently a member of the royal family couldn’t just leave for months at a time without the fanfare. The Queen had already known this but Poe was surprised to find that while they had been planing their trip, she had also been planing something of her own. 

“Short trips are one thing,” the Queen explained. “Rey is leaving the planet for an extended period of time and without us for the first time. We have a fine line to walk. Everyone is curious about you but we haven’t given an official comment. You need to be seen by the right people and have us tell the story tonight. I’ve heard a few people think you’re here for an arranged marriage, and we need to put a stop to those rumours.”

Poe’s eyes had widened at that. “I swear, we haven’t,” but Leia cut him off. 

“I know Poe,” she chuckled. “This isn’t the first time this has happened. When she came of age, everyone seemed to expect Finn to petition for a Courtship. It didn’t matter that they were raised as siblings. She’s well liked by the people and seeing her married would make them feel secure.” The Queen sighed. “Ben isn’t here very often, and unfortunately my son seems a little too happy to be on his own. With everything that happened, the Empire destroying our planet, the people want security. Ensuring the royal line continues is a big part of that.”

So that’s how Poe found himself, dressed in the dreaded new clothes, going to a royal ball. Finn would be Rey’s escort for the evening but the pilot would have to present. Leia wanted everyone to see that the pair were nothing but friends. He’d been ordered to dance as much as possible but only once with the princess. Han had gone so far as to tell him to flirt shamelessly with everyone. He would be seated with the royal family for dinner with his own date for the evening, Leia was hoping it would reinforce that Poe was nothing but a dear friend escorting the princess out of duty. 

Finn looked just as uncomfortable as he did. He had said it wasn’t the first time he’d been Rey’s escort to this type of thing, but we really wasn’t a fan of the attention. The men were waiting for the women to finish dressing before they could all head to the ballroom. 

“Stay calm. Stay calm,” Finn repeated. 

Poe looked amused. “I am calm.”

“I was talking to myself,” he replied, somewhat embarrassed. 

Han laughed, “He does this every time.”

Finn was spared further teasing by the doors to the family wing opening. Leia was dressed as Poe would have imagined the queen in a fairytale would be, delicate crown included. He had wondered at Holdo’s change, her hair a vibrant blue when she arrived earlier today, but he couldn’t help the laugh he gave as it was an exact match to the gown she was now wearing. Rey had been the last to arrive, and Poe suddenly wished he could throw all the rules he was supposed to follow tonight out the window. 

He was very glad the attention wasn’t on him, Poe knew he had to look a bit dumbfounded right now. She had always been pretty, he could admit that much but now Rey looked absolutely beautiful. The deep blue dress looked perfect against her pale skin. And maker help him, there was a lot of skin. She was usually covered completely when he saw her, either in the dresses she wore in public or in her tunics with the always present arm wraps. Now though, he was afforded a far too appealing view. The dress was sleeveless, showing off her toned arms, shoulders and back. The top was tight was his next thought. It did its job perfectly, revealing her narrow waist and accentuating her _nope, not going there brain._ It was giving Poe a view of her curves which his sanity really could have done without. _If she packed anything even remotely like this for their trip, I’m a dead man._ The most infuriating thing was the necklace she was wearing. It was just a simple thing but it hung just directly over her breasts and he knew he would have a hard time from keeping his eyes from continuing down. 

_I’m getting executed. They will start doing them on New Alderaan just for me._

“Why don’t Poe and I head down now,” Amilyn said. “You don’t need us to greet your guests.”

Apparently that plan was fine, because Poe found himself being pulled by the admiral towards the elevator. 

“Feeling all right Poe?” she smirked. “You look a little flushed.”

“Just hot,” he replied. He absolutely did not squeak. 

“I’m sure that’s it,” she said. “It’s very unfortunate the Alderaan style has such long jackets for their formal wear, they cover so much of the body. I suppose it could be a good thing though, it certainly hides any unexpected and embarrassing reactions that could occur.”

_Yep, I’m a dead man._

 

****

 

Rey really hated these things, she was definitely her father’s daughter. Her mother had insisted though, so there wasn’t much choice. She had been surprised when she was told Finn was going to be her escort not the commander. Poe had been her constant companion whenever she left the palace. He’d basically become her constant companion in the palace for that matter. Her parents had been evasive when she asked why but Finn was her best friend for a reason. 

“You won’t like it,” he said. 

She gave a huff, “I hate it when you all do this. Just tell me, it can’t be that bad.”

“Alright, you asked for it,” Finn said defensively. “Some people, not everyone but a few think that ... your parents might be trying to marry you off. To Poe. And the trip is your honeymoon or something.”

_Do I laugh or do I cry?_

“He’s never done anything to me in public to make people think he was a suitor,” she said a little angrily. “He can’t even manage to call me by my name, I’m alway princess or your highness. He can manage to call mom Leia on occasion but never me. I’m just a job to the commander.”

“People talk, that’s all,” Finn said soothingly. “Some guy shows up out of nowhere and is suddenly everywhere with you. It’s just gossip.”

Rey knew he was right but it still hurt. She may have been hoping for a little more from Poe Dameron. As much as she hated the idea of a bodyguard initially, he had been a pleasant surprise. She could admit she might have a small crush on the man. It wasn’t surprising to her, she’d been somewhat isolated from men since her teen years. To have a gorgeous, funny and slightly dangerous man thrown into her life couldn’t help make her think of how her parents had ended up together. 

So she might have spent a little more time and effort getting ready for the ball. One of the few times she had left the palace without Poe was to get the dress. She was 20 years old, high time to start dressing more like a woman. If a few other items happened to also be purchased that day, well that was her business. 

So of course she was disappointed to have the man dragged away seconds after she arrived. She was really starting to hate Holdo. The family left for the ballroom soon after. They stood outside the room’s door, awaiting their guests. And there were plenty of them. She envied Poe, escaping the torture of having the same conversation a hundred times over but the line of people finally ended. They were announced as they entered the ballroom, the many guests who had already entered turning to face the family. 

They had to start the dancing of course, giving Rey a moment to spot the distinct hair colour further down the line. Poe was with the admiral, smiling as usual. She turned back to Finn, knowing she might as well enjoy her dance with him. If previous balls were going to be the example, this would be one of the few enjoyable dances she would get. Like most things in her life, her dance card was filled for the night with none of her input. It would be the usual mix of bores, suck ups and important people. Finn read her mind as usual, keeping quiet. He knew she would have to to a lot of talking the rest of the night. 

Dinner was another disappointment. She and Finn had been placed on one side of her parents while Poe and Holdo were on the other. She had tried to avoid watching him so far, but it hadn’t gone well. She couldn’t help but find him every dance since he was dancing too. Poe apparently had far better luck with partners, he always seemed to be smiling. 

The night dragged on, but they were finally down to the last two dances. The last dance was always reserved for her father, a tradition they had started since she was old enough to be in the public eye. But the second to last dance was the one she had been waiting for. It had been reserved for the commander. He came over to greet her leading her to the floor. 

“You’ll be happy to know, I’ve managed not to kill anyone’s toe tonight,” he said quietly so the others around them couldn’t hear. “I haven’t been to something like this in years.”

“Really? I’m disappointed with you Commander,” she replied equally quiet. “Not your best.”

He gave a small chuckle. “It finally happened, I’m talked out. I’m pretty sure Leia picked this dance for us so I couldn’t escape early and had to mingle.”

The dance was announced. Rey scanned the room quickly and found her mother. She was staring back at her already, completely innocent look on her face. _Too innocent._ It wasn’t supposed to be a waltz. 

The music started and Poe took a small step towards her, holding out his hand. She took it as he slid his other hand behind her back. Rey’s whole world seen to shrink down to nothing but the man in front of her. She ignored the other couples and the multitude of eyes watching to simply enjoy the few minutes she got to spend in Poe’s arms.

It was over far too quickly for her liking. His eyes had never left hers the entire time but he broke away as soon as the music ended. He took a step back and his head dropped down. 

“We’ve got a long day tomorrow, I’m going to get some sleep,” he said as raised his head back back up to look at her. “And since I wouldn’t want you to be too disappointed in me, I should have told you you looked beautiful tonight your highness.”


	10. Chapter 10

He looked over at the sleeping princess. It was one of the longer hyperspace jumps they would be making and she’d decided to nap. It was still surreal to him that they had survived to the halfway point without him completely screwing up and getting stabbed with the lightsaber she had brought. Reality had set in pretty quickly once they left New Alderaan. He would be completely alone with a woman he found far too attractive for hours and in some cases days in a small cruiser. Poe was pretty sure she felt it too, Rey had been very awkward once they had left her home planet. She’d excused herself almost immediately once he had taken off. 

_What did you expect pal? She’s probably embarrassed about what you said last night._

The ball had been a little trying. He’d spent the night switching between dancing with whoever Leia introduced him to and trying to not stare at Rey. He’d definitely crossed a line during their dance, gawking at her like a lovesick idiot. Poe hoped the busy schedule they would follow would take away some of the tension. Rey was a princess, she’d never be interested in a guy like him. 

Their first jump was a short one, only a few hours. He knocked on the bedroom door, there was nowhere else to hide, and let her know they would be there soon. She emerged right away; she’d already changed into something more suitable to meet with the officials once they had landed. They switched places so he could also change, the cruiser only having one bedroom. He was thankful it at least had two separate beds. He was going to go insane in this trip. 

From then on, it was pretty much lather, rinse and repeat. Meet up with government representatives, have a fancy dinner, check into their lodgings, do some actual good for a few days and leave. He’d lost track of which planet they were on most of the time, concentrating on keeping an eye on the princess and making sure he didn’t say something stupid and embarrass her. He made sure to be as polite as possible to everyone and helping out with anything she needed. Poe had no problem helping her from fetching boxes of supplies to keeping the more forward men from getting the wrong idea. Especially the last one. He’d learned to read her face pretty well and as soon as the ‘I’m pissed but can’t say anything because it wouldn’t be polite’ smile appeared, he was at her side to escort her away with the first excuse that popped into his head. 

And now he found himself staring at her yet again. At least she couldn’t catch him this time. Poe was pretty sure he hadn’t blushed this much since he started puberty. Well he was technically supposed to stare at her all the time, it was his job after all. Here on the ship with just the two of them and BB8, he really shouldn’t have a reason to look. 

_Time to stop being a creep, it’s BB8’s job to watch her when she’s sleeping. It was your idea for kriff’s sake._

He knew it wouldn’t be possible to watch her at all times so it had made sense to have the droid take night duty. They had a set of communicators to alert him if something went wrong and BB8 could hold whoever off until Poe arrived. The droid might have been small but it definitely could shock a person when needed. Poe was pretty sure his droid was halfway in love with her too. _Too? Where had that come from?_

 

Poe groaned and dragged himself back to the cockpit. He didn’t love her, it was just a deep respect for her abilities. She was beautiful, intelligent, kind and who was he kidding. He wasn’t going to be able to concentrate on the holo pad at all and they still had a few hours before arriving on Yavin. Going home would distract him from his thoughts. He’d kept his mouth shut when Rey had mentioned his home planet as one of the places she wanted to visit. The Empire had done a number to it after the rebels had fled. Poe had been lucky his father’s farm hadn’t been built yet. He didn’t know if he would get to see his dad while they were there but even a few hours would be an improvement. He hadn’t been back for several years. 

“I can’t sleep well in hyperspace,” Rey said startling him from his thoughts. She entered the cockpit and sat next to him. 

“Definitely a learned skill,” he replied. “At least we have beds, you don’t even want to know how uncomfortable it is in my x-wing.”

Her nose wrinkled at that. “No I don’t think I’d want to be stuck in a ship that size for days.”

“It’s no fun at all,” he chuckled. 

“Well I’ll never know,” she said. “Mom would have a fit if I ever tried to get in one.”

“Best feeling in the world,” Poe said. “Well the flying part, not the stuck part.”

Rey looked away, staring out the cruiser’s windows. It was the closest thing they’d had to a real conversation in weeks so his brain scrambled to find a way to keep her talking. “So why Yavin? Compared to the other places we’ve been, it’s not nearly as bad off.”

Her cheeks definitely turned pink at that. “We’re taking a break there. We’ve been to all over the galaxy for weeks so I thought we should have a break partway through. I’ve always wanted to go there but mom never wanted to because it reminds her of your mom. My parents sort of met here or it’s the closest I’ll get since I can’t very well visit the Death Star. And you’re from there and since we’re seeing my family before we go home it’s only fair,” she rambled nervously. 

 

****

Rey knew her surprise had been a good one, Poe was absolutely beaming. She was glad to finally see him happy, he’d been quiet most of their journey. She knew she was partly to blame, the conversation with her mother had made her feel embarrassed. Leia had cornered her the morning after the ball before she’d even left her room. Rey had been put on guard instantly. The look she’d given her the night of the ball had made her suspicious. If the queen had figured out about her crush, she might cancel the trip and send Poe away. 

“Something you need to tell me honey?” her mother asked. 

Rey was silent for a moment before answering, “No, why do you ask?”

The queen pulled her daughter into a hug. “How about we both just be honest? Can we try that?”

The princess gave a quick nod. “What’s your real question?”

“Do you have feelings for Poe?” Leia asked bluntly. 

Rey felt her cheeks burn, glad her head was still buried on her mother’s shoulder. She really wanted to lie again. “Yes. Well, I think so.”

Leia sighed. “You know I like him very much, he’s a good man but I don’t want you to rush into something just because a handsome man came along.”

Rey pulled away from their embrace. “Mother!”

“I have eyes,” she chuckled. “You’re still young and I just don’t want you to get hurt. Sometimes it’s hard to tell the difference between being together and being together if that makes sense.”

It really didn’t. 

Her mother continued at her confused look, “When you’re with someone a lot, it’s easy to develop feelings for them. Han drove me insane from the start but we were together so often it was easy to fall for him. Well when he wasn’t being an ass anyways. But once everything settled down, we had learn to actually get along without all the distractions. I just don’t want you to confuse spending time with someone you like for something more.”

They spoke briefly, her mother wanted to be sure she was still comfortable. And make sure there wouldn’t be a new heir to the throne in the near future. Leia left with a final warning about being careful about who she decided to give her first kiss to. _It must have been a terrible kiss for mom to look that green._

Rey had no idea how she was supposed to tell the difference though. She knew she liked Poe. He was funny, caring, sweet and ridiculously good looking. She just didn’t know what was supposed to happen next. Weeks later, Rey still didn’t know. So when in doubt, let Poe talk. She asked him to tell her about Yavin. Poe had no problem filling the silence. 

It wasn’t long before they arrived. Since they were here unofficially, she had suggested they stop at his father’s home first. Poe landed the ship and rushed through shut down. He was up and out of the cruiser with his droid not far behind, leaving her to follow. She exited the ship to see Poe hugging a man who had to be his father, Poe was a younger copy of him. As she got closer, she could hear them speaking rapidly in a language she’d never heard before. Kes noticed her first, pulling away from his son. She knew he asked Poe a question from the tone he used. Whatever he had asked embarrassed his son, Poe was blushing. 

He sputtered, answering in basic, “No Dad! She’s the princess.”

He appraised her for a moment. “You’re Han and Leia’s daughter? Oh son, what did you do?”

“Nothing!” Poe exclaimed. 

“He doesn’t know?” she asked. 

Poe shrugged his shoulders, “No one was supposed to know so I might have been a little vague.”

“Anyone else coming out of that ship?” When they both shock their heads, he continued, “Inside the house. I’d really like to know why my son shows up out of nowhere. And bringing a girl home for the first time. One who’s a princess. I’m starting to worry it’s a damn kidnaping with the way you’re acting.”

“I didn’t kidnap her dad,” Poe said, a little exasperated.

Kes narrowed his eyes, “Please tell me you didn’t elope with Han Solo’s daughter. I’m perfectly happy to not have my arms ripped out by a Wookiee.”

“Dad!” Poe screamed. 

Rey couldn’t help it, she started laughing. “What did you tell him?”

The trio entered the house. Kes ordered them to sit on a couch before taking a chair across from then. The droid kept close to Kes until he received a pat on the dome, rolling back to place itself between her and Poe. “Now explain this classified mission. All you said was that you were on New Alderaan and you mentioned meeting the family. That doesn’t explain why you’re here alone with her. You know damn well it was your mother’s job to protect Leia. She wouldn’t just let her daughter go off without protection. I may have gotten out but I know enough people still in. I know all about those stupid morons who still want someone like Palpatine in charge of the galaxy.”

This was news to Rey. _People actually wanted the Empire to return?_

“I swear dad, nothing is wrong,” Poe began. “She is the classified mission, I am the protection. I had no idea if I’d get much time to see you when we were here so I didn’t tell you I was coming. I figured if I could get some time, it would be a nice surprise.”

Kes looked back and forth between them. “Should I be worried that history is repeating itself? I think I want to go back to the moment when it was you getting off the ship with a pretty girl. I might actually get some grandkids that way.”

Poe groaned, his head dropping down while BB8 gave an indignant beep. “Sorry BB, you’re not quite the same,” Kes said apologetically. 

“Can we not do this now?” Poe whined. “The princess already has no reason to respect me, don’t make it worse.”

The older man smiled. “Should I send him to his room? I have so many holos I could show you princess.”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea mister Dameron,” she said with a smile.


	11. Chapter 11

Poe was relieved his father actually didn’t bring out the holos. Of course what he actually did was worse. 

“So how long are you two staying?” Kes asked. “You really should have told me you were coming Poe, I could have tidied up your room and the guest room.”

“Dad, we’re,” he started but Rey cut him off with, “Oh it’s fine sir, a real bed will so much better than the cruiser. It’s only a few days.”

Poe resisted the urge to smack his hand against his forehead. “Your Highness,” he tried but she interrupted again. 

“We should get our things Commander,” Rey spoke, standing up from the sofa. 

_Well I’ve been outvoted._ Poe rose and followed her to the cruiser. She pointed to a smaller bag, letting him know which one she wanted and started to exit the ship. 

“We don’t need to stay,” he said before she could leave. “My dad is just being my dad. He won’t get mad if we leave. I got to see him, it’s better than I’d hoped for when I found out we were coming.”

“Do you not want to stay?” Rey asked. “I shouldn’t have assumed.”

“No!” he exclaimed. “I mean yes I want to stay, I haven’t seen my dad in years but I don’t want you to be uncomfortable. You live in a palace. My home’s not exactly that fancy.”

She gave a small laugh. “You do remember who my father is right? Do you really think I’ve never been away with just him? We definitely had weeks of roughing it that my mother and brother would have been appalled at. This is as much a break for you as it is for me. I’m sick to death of the hoops we have to go through just to visit visit people in need. A few days of quiet are all I want.”

Poe could only give a small nod. He picked up both of their belongings to bring into the house. He could smell meat cooking, his father must be in the kitchen. He lead the princess to a set of stairs taking her to the guest room. He pointed out the fresher, knowing she would want a real one, not like the sonic on the cruiser. Once she was settled, he entered his childhood room.  
It was both painfully familiar and strangely different. Nothing had changed since the last time he’d been home but the light layer of dust. It was more the feeling of how different he was now from the boy who had chosen the items that belonged in there. He set his bag down on the dresser. There was no point unpacking for such a short stay. He left his room, noticing the fresher door was shut. _Might as well help dad with dinner._

Kes turned when he entered the kitchen. “I’m making your favourite.”

“It’s been a while,” Poe replied. “You really don’t need to go through a lot of trouble dad, we can still go to the lodgings.”

“You’re already here,” he said firmly. “I don’t get to cook much for other people anymore, let me enjoy it. Now chop up the vegetables and tell me about this mission.”

Poe explained everything, he knew his father could be trusted. _Hell dad was technically part of the lie._

“Well at least you have to be safer doing this than in the Navy,” his father said. “If the sympathizers get more people, you’d could be moved back to active combat duty before long. Are you thinking of staying?”

He hadn’t really thought about it. It was hard to imagine giving up flying. He’d enjoyed the freedom from regulations, the family and those around them and it wasn’t too difficult or boring. He did like his new job, the biggest problem at the moment was his feelings for his charge. They were still getting to know each other but he could easily see himself falling in deeper. If he couldn’t get over it, he’d have to watch her marry and have children with another man. The thought of that was beyond painful. 

“I don’t know dad,” he replied honestly. “Still trying to adjust I guess.”

Kes gave a noncommittal hum. “I’m not sure I believe you son,” his finger pointing at his son’s chest. 

Poe looked down. He hadn’t realized he’d stopped chopping and was clutching his necklace. 

“Is it her?” Kes asked. “You have a habit of doing things the hard way.”

“Doesn’t matter,” he replied sadly. “She’s going to end up married to some king or a diplomat. Someone who’s nothing like me.”

“I never thought her parents would end up together,” Kes said. “The princess and the smuggler, it sounds like a bad fairytale. They were always at each other’s throats but you could see something. Figured it was just the war, whatever it was would stop when the fight did. The fact that she exists proved me wrong and well, you’ve seen them more than I have lately. Do Han and Leia like you?”

Poe nodded slowly. “Well then, you need to try,” he continued. “Leia married a damn criminal. I don’t think they’d care if she fell in love with an officer as long as he’s good to her. She got an older brother right? It’s not like you’d end up king.”

“She barely likes me dad,” Poe spoke after a moment. “I wasn’t kidding about her not respecting me. She can kick my ass, literally. She doesn’t like being alone with me. I keep saying stupid things to her. Whatever you’re thinking, it’s not going to happen.”

“That’s what I thought about your mother once,” his father grinned. “And saying something stupid to person you like? It’s pretty much what happens to everyone.”

“Oh I’m sorry,” Rey cut in. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

The pilot had never been so happy his father had made him learn Yavinese. 

“You aren’t interrupting,” Kes said in basic. “Poe and I are just catching up while making dinner. I just realized I don’t know your name dear. My son, where are your manners?”

“I learned them from a guy who thought I was a kidnapper,” Poe smirked. “It’s Princess Rey. Or your highness. Would’ve thought you’d remember that part.”

 

****

 

“Really, just Rey is fine sir,” she said sneaking a look at Poe. _Maybe your son will take the hint too._

“Well only if you call me Kes,” the man said. “Sir just takes me back to my alliance days. Now finish those vegetables or we’ll never eat.”

Poe rolled his eyes but got to work. 

Dinner was a more lively affair than she’d had since they had left Alderaan. Kes told story after story of Poe’s childhood misadventures. Poe was far less pleased but took the ribbing adding his defence often. 

“I was six!” Poe whined. “How was I supposed to know they were poisonous?”

Rey and his father laughed. “Well, I think it’s time for bed. I’ll clean up in the morning,” he said. “Good night you two.”

“Night dad,” Poe said. He turned to her, “I’m not tired, I’ll clean up. Why don’t you head to sleep your highness.”

_So much for that. Time to try something new._

“I can help if you’d like Poe,” she said. 

She was happy to see he looked startled at that.


	12. Chapter 12

_Of course she brought the damn sticks._

“We haven’t been able to train in a month,” Rey pouted. “The cruiser is too small and we’ve been surrounded by people who wouldn’t be happy to see me as anything other than a princess. Please Poe?”

_Kriff, I shouldn’t like her saying my name that much._

So of course he let her have her way. He was getting better but it would take years to catch up to her skill. Poe stayed on the defensive, trying to minimize the number of bruises he’d have. Rey didn’t seem to like that. She aimed for a blow to his head, ensuring he would bring staff up to avoid the hit. It was a feint, swinging the other end of the staff at the last minute to take out his legs, sending Poe sprawling to the ground. She was smiling brightly and laughing leaving Poe no option. He used his own staff to repeat the move on her while she was distracted. He smirked at her from his seated position.

“That wasn’t fair at all,” she said with as much dignity as she could from the ground. 

Poe rose, extending his hand out to help the princess up. 

“Yeah and you giving me that sad face and pouting is completely fair,” he retorted. 

She took his hand, rising far more gracefully than he did. He had expected her to let go immediately but she seemed content to hold his hand while brushing the dirt off herself with the other. 

“I don’t pout,” she said, pouting. 

He gave a small laugh, “No, never.”

“If you two are done flirting, breakfast is ready,” Kes shouted from the entrance of the house. 

Poe knew he was blushing and released Rey’s hand quickly. “You’re definitely never getting grandchildren now,” he yelled back, starting towards the house. 

He could feel her stare. “Why do I get the feeling I don’t want want to know what you two just said to each other?” she asked. 

“You really don’t need to know,” he said evasively. 

She give him a small smile. “Now I definitely want to know. Should I ask your father instead? There must be something I can do to make you tell me why you’re blushing. ”

_Is she flirting with me? What dad said is just getting to me. There’s no way she would be interested._

“My dad is just catching up on teasing me,” he said. “If you ask him I’ll have to get an embarrassing story from your parents when we have our check in tonight.”

She gave him another pout so he tapped her nose. “Completely unfair your highness.”

He was pleased to see it was her turn to blush. 

“Damn it Poe, did I teach you nothing! You need to spread out the flirting, too much at once and you’ll scare her away,” Kes shouted again in Yavinese. “Now get in here and eat before I really make you sorry!”

“Alright, we’re coming,” Poe answered in basic.

The three had a simple breakfast. Poe offered to help his father with the farm but Kes had refused telling his son it was his job to protect Rey now, not do chores. Once they had finished their meal, she asked if they could visit the old rebel base. It wasn’t too far so the pair walked. The temple was in ruins, a far cry from its early days. He explained what had happened, the Empire taking its revenge after the destruction of the Death Star. It was still accessible, though many parts had collapsed completely. 

The hanger of the base was still mostly intact so they were able to enter. Poe didn’t dare take her further into the base. He hadn’t tried to enter since his younger days, who knew what kind of damage had happened in the last several years. There was little left over, anything that had remained had been taken for salvage years ago. The jungle was starting to reclaim what was left. They had packed some supplies and sat outside under a tree to eat their lunch. 

He knew she was disappointed, it wasn’t much to see anymore. The idea came to mind quickly. “I’ve got something else I could show you,” he said on their walk back.

He detoured as they got closer to the house, taking a familiar path. It was also starting to grow over, he hadn’t visited since his last trip home. It didn’t take long before she was walking ahead of him, the Jedi in her must have sensed it. He had a sense of reverse déjà vu, Poe catching her touching his tree. He stepped closer, lifting his arms over his head to hold a large branch. With a quick jump, he pulled himself up to sit on the branch. 

“You did not just climb a Force tree,” she said somewhat scandalized. 

He gave her a smirk. “Hate to tell you, I’ve been climbing this one since I was a kid. This was my favourite place to play.”

“Really?” she asked. 

“Not a whole lot to do around here,” he replied. “Plus it made me feel closer to my mom. It was almost like I could feel her here.”

She gave him an odd stare. “Do you feel her now?”

Poe wasn’t sure how to answer. “It’s ... it’s like she here but not. I don’t even know how to explain it.”

She gave him another strange look but didn’t comment. Apparently she gave up her reservations and quickly scrambled up to sit beside him. They sat quietly for the remainder of the afternoon. 

 

****

 

Rey dreaded leaving Yavin. The last few days were probably some of the happiest she had in forever. Both her and Poe had lived without any type of schedule for the first time in years. No diplomats, no rushing from place to place, no paperwork and no need for the constant formality of palace or military life. They had spent their days as they pleased. 

They’d left the Force tree as dinner time approached. They hadn’t spoken in hours but it wasn’t uncomfortable like it had been on the cruiser. It almost felt like she had spent the time meditating without the effort. Rey could completely understand why Poe loved it. 

They arrived at the farm to find Kes had already made dinner. The three had pleasant meal, the conversation happy. They were both amused after dinner when their fathers took over the check in, completely commandeering the call to catch after so many years. 

The remainder of their stay was spend quietly. Rey finally had a chance to spend time alone with the man she was starting to care a great deal for without feeling nervous. He seemed more relaxed on his home world, smiling and laughing more than she’d ever seen him do before. 

They had to say their goodbyes though. She would miss Kes, he seemed to be the one person who could completely make his son become flustered with only a few words. The older man was obviously sad to see them go, hugging Poe tightly. The spoke rapidly in Yavinese, and Kes looked on the verge of crying. 

“Don’t start dad,” Poe said haltingly. “If you start crying so will I. There goes the last shred of credibility I have left.”

“Too late,” Kes said. “You switched back to basic.”

Poe gave a watery chuckle. “I love you too dad.”

“Love you Poe,” he replied. Kes turned to her, “I’m very glad to have met you Rey. I hope to see you again.”

“That will depend on your son I suppose,” she said. “Maybe I can talk my father into an invite to the palace.”

“Take care of each other,” he said in farewell. 

And off they went. It should have been normal by now, but it took several days to get back into their routine. She was grateful at least that the tension was finally gone. They could hold a conversation without the awkward pauses and skittish looks. She could sit in the copilot’s chair without feeling nervous, like when they’d spent hours at the Force tree. 

With their trip half over, she was looking forward to her own family visit. Ben came home so rarely, she hadn’t seen him in almost two years. Only a few weeks left and they would head to Hosnian Prime.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning, Ben is an ass.

He was trying hard not to laugh, she was practically bouncing in her seat. They’d entered atmo, almost at the landing pad for the building he’d been directed to. Poe set the cruiser down taking note of the small group waiting for them. The Wookiee was obviously Chewbacca and he recognized the prince from his holo. There was a third man with the two, older and dressed all in black. He set down the ship and she rose quickly. 

“You know all of them right?” he asked, unsure if the third man was familiar to her. 

“Yes, it’s fine,” she said in exasperation. “I’m perfectly safe.”

He nodded at BB8 and the droid followed her out of the cruiser so he could shut it down. He watched her through the window as she bolted straight to the Wookiee. He completely dwarfed her much smaller form. The prince looked annoyed at that, he could see his mouth moving and Rey laughed before hugging him next. Shut down complete, Poe exited to see her stepping away from the third man. As he approached, he could overhear someone speaking. 

“And why would you get an astromech?” the prince asked. “There’s absolutely no need for you to have anything other than a protocol droid.”

“The droid is mine your highness,” Poe spoke up. Rey looked more than a little annoyed with her brother. 

The prince looked him up and down, apparently finding Poe wanting. “I understand you needing a bodyguard, but you’re safe here with me. You’re my guest, he is not.”

“Ben, really?” Rey started angrily. “And what do you expect him to do? Sleep in the cruiser all week?”

Poe was starting to think fighting each other was a Solo family gene. He was glad Finn had warned him that the prince wasn’t the friendliest of people. 

He opened his mouth to retort when the older man spoke up, “Who are you?”

The siblings stopped their bickering to look at the man. He sounded like he was almost in pain. Poe avoided reaching out his hand, unsure what the protocol was. He was obviously trusted by the family if the prince talked so freely around him. “Commander Poe Dameron sir. I’m the princess’ escort.”

“You can’t be,” he replied. “I thought I was seeing a ghost.”

Poe wasn’t sure how to reply but Rey didn’t seem to have that problem. “He does look a lot like Kes doesn’t he?” she said laughing. “Is that who you’re thinking of?”

The man chuckled, “Yes, he does look like him. How would you know that?”

“I finally got to see Yavin 4,” she replied. “We stayed at their farm.”

“He’s a farmer,” Ben Solo said derisively under his breath. 

“That’s enough Ben! You’ve been rude since the moment they arrived,” the man chastised. “You seem to be forgetting I was a farmer long before I was a Jedi.”

_I’m an idiot. He’s Skywalker._

“I’m sorry uncle,” the prince replied. “The senate has been stressful these last few months.”

“I’m starting to think it was a good thing I came to visit. Tomorrow morning we’re training,” he said firmly. “You said you took the week off so you will have the time.”

The prince nodded but looked unhappy about the request. “Now as I was saying, I don’t have extra room for him. I assumed it wouldn’t be a problem Rey, I have our schedule for your visit worked out,” he said. “I’ll be with you at all times so your escort won’t be needed.”

“You knew he was coming Ben,” Rey answered. “His job is to be with me, so get over it.”

“You’re worse than your parents,” Luke sighed. “I have an extra room in my quarters, the Commander can stay with me. The last thing I need is to have an actual ghost show up tonight. Shara would definitely find a way to appear to me if I left her son homeless for a week.”

“You see ghosts?” Poe couldn’t help asking. 

Skywalker laughed. “It’s been a while but I do get the occasional visit. One of those Jedi perks.”

The prince huffed. “My sister and I have dinner plans, you two can discuss that later since you’ll apparently be sharing.”

Poe resisted the urge to roll his eyes. The Jedi didn’t seem to share his restraint. 

“Thank you so much Ben for arranging my life. You aren’t King yet you know,” Rey interjected. “This was supposed to be for us to catch up.”

“I’m the crown prince, so you are under my authority. You’ll be taking my place in the senate one day,” Ben said. “You should get an idea of the people you’ll be dealing with while you’re here.”

Poe could see she was getting angry. “Why don’t we get your things your highness? That way I can find your rooms if I need to.” 

At the prince’s annoyed look, Rey intervened. “Poe is doing his job, don’t start.”

They returned to the ship, Rey’s movements brisker than normal. She practically threw herself on her bed. “I’m sorry. Ben’s not usually like this.”

“It’s fine,” Poe chuckled. “I’m used to dealing with squadrons of cocky people. He’s got nothing on them.”

She turned to look at him. “Still, he should know better.”

Poe shrugged and slung the duffle he had packed for their stay on his shoulder. She pointed to two cases and grabbed a third for herself. Chewbacca relieved her of it once they had exited as well as taking one of the cases from him with a growl. Poe had no clue what the Wookiee had said but Rey had thanked him. The prince was in the lead, walking through the halls briskly. The group piled into a lift, going to the highest floor of the tower. There were only 4 doors that Poe could see. They entered the first door on the left, revealing a large apartment. 

Poe helped Rey settle in, apparently annoying the prince more. “You’ve got your communicator?” he asked quietly.

Rey gave a small nod, glaring at her brother. He was hovering outside her door watching them. “I’ll be fine,” she whispered. “I’ll get BB8 to shock him if he doesn’t stop being an ass.”

Poe laughed, “Don’t get my droid dismantled. I’ll sick your uncle on him instead, I think he likes me.”

 

****

 

Rey did the final touches on her hair. Ben had insisted she dress properly for dinner with his friend. It wasn’t one of the new gowns she had brought with her from home, she knew she wouldn’t be seeing Poe this evening. Ben was acting strangely. Well more strangely than normal. He had always been the more formal of the two. If she was Han’s daughter, Ben was definitely Leia’s son. 

She left her room, finding Ben seated on a sofa reading. 

“You look presentable,” he said in greeting. 

Rey rolled her eyes. “So kind of you to notice.”

“He’s an important man on his home world,” he replied. “They’re considering joining the Republic, I need you to make a good impression. This could be vital to us.”

“First impressions are usually wrong,” she said, thinking of the night she’d met Poe. 

“Perhaps,” Ben replied. “They’re the most important one though. Best behaviour please, I’d like my negotiations to continue.”

“I know how to act Ben,” she huffed. “I’m the one who still lives at home. I’m the one who’s always being watched.”

“Yes I saw how you acted,” he said. “You’re far too familiar with Dameron.”

“We’re supposed to act that way,” she said defensively. “Our mother set up it that way for all of New Alderaan to see.”

“We aren’t on New Alderaan sister,” he said.

She gave her brother a withering look. He returned to his data pad, leaving her to explore her surroundings. The room was completely sterile, no personal touches. It was so unlike the family wing back home. Other than the dining room, the family had pictures, art and other keepsakes everywhere in their quarters. 

Their guest arrived promptly. He would have been an attractive man if he didn’t perpetually look like he smelled something awful. General Armitage Hux was one of those people she tended to loathe. He talked constantly, mostly boasting of himself and never seemed to require her input, assuming her answers would always agree with his. Ben had said he was a friend but they genuinely didn’t seem to like each other much. 

They thankfully talked politics most of the meal, allowing her to be quiet. She had given the excuse of her two month trip, saying she hadn’t had much time to catch up on recent events. Rey excused herself as soon as it was polite, claiming fatigue from arriving today. He’d taken her hand before she could leave, kissing her fingers. She’d had to resist pulling her hand out of his grip. 

She left the apartment’s dining room quickly, leaning on the door once she’d escaped. _Hell, that was exactly how she’d imagined hell._ She could hear their voices distinctly. She knew she shouldn’t but to be fair, they were talking about her so she listened. 

“She’s not what I’d call a classic beauty but she’s tolerable. I was worried she’d look too much like you,” Hux said jokingly. 

“Rey might not be the most beautiful girl in the galaxy but she has the pedigree you need,” her brother replied. 

“So do you need to speak to your parents? I’d like this to start as soon as possible,” Hux asked. 

“I’m in charge of her while she’s here,” Ben said. “I’m sure they’ll be happy to have someone with your military background as her husband. She’s been of age for two years, I’m sure this little trip of hers is just to get any wanderlust out of her system before she’s settled in marriage.”

 _Husband? Ben was trying to marry her off to that man? Is that why her parents had agreed?_ She felt sick. Rey moved away from the door, returning to her room. BB8 was waiting silently for her but she couldn’t seem to concentrate. He chirped softly when she didn’t give her usual greeting. She couldn’t think, all she knew was she needed to get away. She had no idea where her uncle’s rooms were in the tower. She had to go there. 

Rey grabbed the comm, pressing the switch as hard as she could. “Poe?” Her voice was shaky. 

It took a moment for his reply. “Rey? What’s wrong? Are you alright?”

“You need to come. You need to get me out of here,” she replied quietly. “Hurry.”

She turned to the droid, “Not a sound, we’re going to the elevator.” The droid gave a quick nod. 

She peaked her head outside her door. She could still hear voices faintly coming from the dining room. She put her finger to her lips before walking quietly to the outer door, BB8 trailing slowly behind her. Rey closed her eyes and concentrated on the door, opening it silently. Once they were in the hall she closed it again using the Force. She could distantly hear the ping of the lift but she was distracted by the shaking of her body. 

Poe emerged first, blaster in hand. Her uncle was behind him holding his lightsaber. She rushed to him, not caring that she had started crying. Poe held her tightly. 

“What happened? Where’s your brother?” he asked breathlessly. 

“Oh he’s fine but I’m not. Get me the hell out of here,” she answered.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What’s Star Wars without Skywalker family drama?

He couldn’t remember the last time he had panicked like this, she had sounded terrified over the comm. He had been talking with Master Skywalker when the communicator sounded. All she had said was his name, but he had never heard her voice sound so scared. 

“You need to come,” she had said and he was out of his seat. 

Poe bolted to his room grabbing his blaster before running out of the apartment. The Jedi must have had the same thought, he was at the elevator before the doors opened, lightsaber in hand. 

“What happened?” he asked the older man. “Did she say anything else?”

“No,” he said tightly. 

It was the longest few seconds of his life, they were only three floors below her brother’s quarters. He rushed out of the door only to stop suddenly, Rey and his droid already waiting for them. She was in his arms instantly clutching his shirt. Poe held her back, relieved she was safe. 

“What happened? Where’s your brother?” he asked, panting slightly. 

“Oh he’s fine but I’m not. Get me the hell out of here,” she pleaded. 

He pulled away slightly to look at her. She was crying softly, he’d never seen her look this upset. 

“What did he do?” he asked, anger flaring. 

“I just need to get away from them,” she replied. 

He looked towards the apartment door, wanting nothing more than to charge in. The feel of her shaking body stopped him. Poe pulled her gently towards the lift, her uncle holding the doors open. They were silent on the way down and into the Jedi’s quarters. 

“I want an explanation in the morning Rey,” Skywalker said. “Something isn’t right here. Get some sleep, both of you. I need to think.”

She gave a slight nod, she still hadn’t let go of her death grip on his shirt. Poe watched as Luke left them to enter his bedroom, having no clue what he was supposed to do. She was staring at her uncle’s door but he could tell she wasn’t really seeing it. It was similar to the looks he’d seen on some of his pilots faces after a mission gone wrong. He put his hand on her face, turning her head gently to face him. 

“Rey?” he asked softly. “I need to you look at me. Can you do that?”

It took a moment but her eyes focused on his. “Did he hurt you? I’ve got medkit in my room if you need something. And what did you mean them? I thought you two were having dinner.”

She shook her head. “I’m fine. Ben wanted me to meet some friend of his. I just overheard them talking and panicked,” she rambled finally letting him go. “Figures it would take something drastic for you to call me Rey,” she muttered under her breath. 

A nervous laugh escaped him. “Didn’t know you wanted me to. You can kick my ass, I wasn’t about to over step,” he said. “I doubt this was just you scaring the kark out of us just so I’d call you Rey.”

She gave him an exasperated look. “Ben. He wants me to marry this horrible man he introduced me to,” she said quietly. “He said my parents only let me go before I have to settle down with him.”

“No!” He said vehemently. “I know that’s not true. Before I even met them, I was told I might be around for a while. Why would they hire me if they were going to marry you off months later. And your parents love you, they’d never make you marry someone you didn’t like.”

She didn’t seem very reassured. “Your uncle is right, we should get some sleep,” he said soothingly. “We’ll figure this out in the morning.”

“I didn’t think to grab my things,” she said softly. 

“You’ve still got suitcases in the cruiser,” he replied. “Pretty sure you packed a years worth of clothing. I can grab something from there.”

“Please stay,” she said reaching for him again. “I don’t know when he’ll notice I’m gone. He’s not going to be happy I left.”

“Okay, come on.” He lead her to his room, going to the dresser. He pulled out two pairs of pyjamas. “I’m not that much taller than you, it should do for one night,” he said handing her one of the sets. 

She looked around the room, avoiding his eyes. “Right, I should leave,” he said completely flustered. “You sleep in here, I’ll be fine on the couch.”

Rey gave him a small smile. “Thank you Poe. I just needed to get away from them, I didn’t mean to worry you.”

“If I have to, I’ll kidnap you for real,” he joked. “We can go back to Yavin and give my dad a heart attack.”

She managed a weak chuckle at that. “Pretty sure that’s the first place they’d look for us. Good night,” she said, closing the bedroom door. 

He headed to the fresher to change and finish getting ready for bed. The couch would fit him but it would still be an uncomfortable night without blankets and pillows. It took him a while to find a decent position but it was his thoughts that made it difficult to sleep. Her brother hadn’t exactly made himself any friends today. He doubted Han and Leia would let Rey marry a complete stranger, friend of their son or not. They hadn’t said anything to him about what to do in this situation so he had to go with his gut. Rey had called the guy horrible. She seemed to be a good judge of character from what he’d seen and the prince was being odd from what the family had said. He would talk to her parents tomorrow. _I really will kidnap her if I’m wrong._

Poe felt like he’d managed to just fall asleep when the pounding started. He walked towards the apartment’s door half dazed, not surprised when he saw the prince on the other side. 

“You’re fired farmer!” the man shouted. “My sister is missing and you’re sleeping on the job!”

Poe used his body to fill up the doorframe, keeping the man out. Sure the guy was a giant but he’d dealt with screaming superior officers for years. “One, it’s commander Dameron,” he replied holding up a finger. “Two, Queen trumps Prince. She hired me so only your mother can fire me. Three, unlike you, I know exactly where the princess is.”

Ben looked shocked by Poe’s casual dismissal. _Well someone’s used to getting their own way._ “Where is my sister?” he said, pronouncing each word distinctly. 

“She’s right here,” Rey said calmly. 

 

****

Both men turned to look at her. Ben looked furious, but Poe looked almost proud. There was something else in his face, but she wasn’t sure what to call it. When she’d shut the door last night, she removed her gown, trying on the pyjamas. The pants were far too large falling off immediately so she’d kicked them off again. Poe might not be particularly tall but he was definitely broader. The long sleeved shirt covered enough that it would be fine for the night. She hadn’t gone straight to sleep last night, choosing to meditate on the bed. She thought over what Poe had said. Her parents had married for love and had never given her any reason to doubt they’d make her marry for any reason other than that herself. Finn had told her about the arranged marriage rumours and they’d decided to put a stop to those by having Finn escort her to the ball instead of Poe. He was most likely right but the lingering anger at her brother remained. _Ben deserves some payback for this._ The thought of putting her brother in place calmed her enough to fall asleep. 

She hadn’t anticipated Ben to be this angry. Between the loud knocking and screaming, she woke up almost immediately. She’d forgotten she wasn’t exactly dressed for company. 

“What are you wearing?” her brother hissed. 

“Poe’s shirt,” she replied innocently. He looked like he would be the one having a heart attack. 

“Let him in please Commander,” her uncle said wearily. “We really don’t need the whole tower hearing this.”

Poe stepped back allowing Ben to enter the room. Her brother strode over to her, grabbing her arm tightly. “Get dressed now.”

“Hands off,” Poe commanded, stepping towards them. Rey felt a funny tingle in her belly at that. 

She turned back to look at Ben. “I can’t,” she replied with the same sweet tone as before. “All my clothes are upstairs.”

“Enough,” Luke shouted. “Ben, let go of your sister immediately. Poe, you need to calm down. Rey, stop antagonizing your brother. I’ve had it.” He pointed at each of them in turn. 

They all complied quickly, Luke Skywalker was not a man to be trifled with. He continued, “Rey I want you to stay here, we’ll get your things. Order us all breakfast please. Then I would like an explanation for all of this. You’re all acting like children.”

“She needs to come back to my quarters,” Ben said defiantly. “I’m her brother, she’s supposed to be under my protection.”

“From what I’ve seen, I’m tempted to send your sister back home. She’s certainly not staying with you,” her uncle said firmly. “Do not push me Ben. She obviously feels safer with the commander than you.”

Her brother seemed to shrink, his normally large frame slumped. The men left to get her bags, R2 and BB8 tasked with keeping her safe. She found herself laughing at the two droids as they argued in binary about the situation while trying to order breakfast for everyone. Poe returned soon after with Chewbacca and her cases. The Wookiee asked if she was alright and she gave him a hug after telling him she was fine. They put her bags into her uncle’s room, Chewie leaving shortly after with Luke’s possessions. Breakfast arrived before her family had returned, she was starving after the events since last night. She entered her new room to change, Poe telling her that Luke would be staying with Ben. She dressed quickly into her more comfortable tunic skipping the arm bands so she could eat. 

Poe stopped eating when she entered. He placed his plate on one of the tables of the living room and marched quickly to his bedroom furious look on his face. Rey wasn’t sure what was going on so she chose a plate for herself then moved to sit on the sofa to wait for him. Poe emerged from his room, small bag in hand. He sat beside her taking her plate and putting it beside his own. She was confused when he took hold of her arm. She looked down, noticing the ugly bruise forming for the first time. 

“So how pissed would your parents be if I murdered your brother?” he asked casually as he dug through the medkit. 

“I’m fairly certain they would be unhappy if you killed their heir. I don’t think I could pardon you for that one,” she tried to joke. 

Poe applied the bacta gel to her bruise. “Your uncle might just back me up. When I left I could hear him throwing things around. Not very princely to lock yourself in your room to throw a temper tantrum. And hey, they’ve got you to take over.”

“Well if this is what the senate has done to Ben, I think I’d prefer to be Queen,” she replied. “He hasn’t been home since my eighteenth birthday. I’m still not sure how he thinks he can represent our people if he never sees them.”

Luke returned before Poe could answer. Her uncle was usually a calm man but the lack of sleep and Ben’s behaviour were obviously upsetting him. He looked over at the plates of food before shaking his head slightly, his appetite gone apparently. He looked at them, noticing Poe’s actions. He sat on the sofa opposite to them. 

“Your brother is refusing to talk to me so I left Chewie with him until he calms down,” he started. “I think I’d like your side now Rey.”

She explained as best as she could. Poe and her uncle both looked more upset as she spoke. 

“Chewie said he’s been secretive the last six months or so,” Luke explained. “Not long after he met with this Hux. I think it’s time we spoke with your parents.”


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, very bad week.

Poe was pretty sure he’d never more more uncomfortable in his life. This was a family matter, he really shouldn’t be part of the discussion. Master Luke disagreed, so here he was listening to what was a very awkward and heartbreaking family moment. 

Calling Han and Leia shocked would have been an understatement. Luke started them off explaining what he had witnessed since his arrival two days before them. The word arrogant had been thrown around a few times. He’d also mentioned his nephew seemed to be blocking him. Ben apparently hadn’t been pleased to have his uncle arrive unannounced and was shutting down his thoughts.

He’d heard Rey’s part already, he thought he’d been prepared. He hadn’t been ready for her parents though. They’d been horrified at what the prince had thought he had the authority to do. He wouldn’t have to break multiple galactic laws and kidnap royalty, they’d assured Rey they would never make her marry against her will. _Not that I would have done it. Well unless she asked me to._ What he hadn’t been ready for was the question why. 

“Honey, why would you think we’d agree to a marriage?” Leia asked. The queen looked completely stricken. 

Rey’s head dropped down at that. “I was just scared. I wasn’t thinking,” she mumbled. 

“You’re as terrible a liar as your father,” her mother said.

She was silent for almost a minute, head still down. Nobody seemed inclined to talk, everyone waiting for an answer. “I can only make small decisions. I can pick what I wear, sometimes what I can do,” she started. “But the big things, I never seem to have a choice. It’s always go here, do this. Or don’t do that. Ben was living on his own when he wasn’t much older than me. I had to beg to leave the planet for a short while to do a damn mercy mission. When he said he had authority to do what he wanted I believed him. Who you marry is one of the biggest decisions in life, how was I supposed to know it would be different than all the other choices that were taken away from me. Everyone still treats me like a child. Well almost everyone.”

He had to bite his lip to stop himself from smiling. Her parents and uncle all looked guilty. He’d seen it happen, her uncle had said he would send her home just this morning. Hell, it was the reason he was here in the first place. He understood the logic of him being there, but he didn’t at the same time. Rey was smart and capable, she could have done this trip on her own. What she lacked was her mother’s assertiveness. And he was pretty sure she’d started to finally find that.

“Poe?” he heard the queen ask. 

He felt his face heat up, he was staring again. “Sorry, what?”

She gave a watery chuckle. “I asked what your thoughts were about the situation with Ben?”

“I just met your son yesterday, I don’t think my opinion counts for much,” he replied honestly. 

“That’s why I want it,” she said. “We’re all too close to him, a stranger’s assessment would be helpful.”

“Honest opinion?” he asked reluctantly. 

She gave a nod. “You asked for it,” he muttered softly. “I think he’s a spoiled child who needs to get what he wants. Everyone keeps saying he’s acting differently but how would you know? You’ve all said he’s never around, maybe this is what he’s actually like.”

He knew he had shocked them. Leia opened and closed her mouth several times before she could speak. “This is my fault. We should never have sent him away to the senate so soon.”

“No!” he answered immediately. “If you were at fault, Rey would be the same way. We all leave home sometime, doesn’t mean we forget everything we were taught.”

He was quiet after that. _I really need to learn to keep my mouth shut sometimes._ Chewbacca had arrived during his speech, the Wookiee came to have his say. Poe didn’t understand Shyriiwook, but everyone else did. He tuned out again, there was no point listening to half a conversation. He was glad when it was over. The lack of sleep and emotional upheaval had left him exhausted. 

 

****

 

Luke left with Chewbacca, once Poe said he needed a nap. She was too nervous to sleep. Chewie has left a package on the table so she opened it for something to do. It was Ben’s itinerary for the week as well as passes and tickets to the events he’d planned. She wasn’t sure what that was supposed to mean. Was her brother going to hide the entire time she was here? The part that disturbed her the most was that there were three tickets for everything. He hadn’t know their uncle was coming and he hadn’t bothered to find somewhere for Poe to sleep, she doubted they were for him. She could only conclude the third seat was for Hux, the thought making her shudder. 

Her parents wanted to think first before speaking to Ben. Luke and Chewie would both be keeping an eye on him. Sadly her uncle wouldn’t let her just duel with him. A good fight with her lightsaber was exactly what she could use right now. 

Rey decided Poe had the right idea, her own tiredness finally creeping up on her. She woke up close to dinner time. She was hungry having not finished her breakfast and sleeping through lunch. He was already awake looking like he’d just finished with the fresher. 

“How are you feeling?” he asked looking up from his data pad. 

“Tired, angry, happy, sad. Take your pick at this point,” she replied sitting across from him. 

He set the pad down, leaning towards her. “Any thoughts on what you want to do? We could go back to Alderaan if you want. I wouldn’t blame you for wanting to get out of here.”

She shook her head. “Ben owes me an apology. And an explanation. I’m not leaving until I get those or we have to leave as scheduled.”

He gave her a soft smile. “Good for you, your brother’s an idiot. I wouldn’t want to be him when your mother lays into him.”

She arched a brow. “Most people worry about my father. He’s the former General.”

“Leia is definitely the scary one,” he laughed. “Your dad is the one who needed a huge bodyguard back in the day.”

They ordered dinner and Rey took her turn in the fresher. They were both still tired and out of sorts from the last day, so they decided a quiet night in would be best. The went through package again, deciding which events they actually might enjoy attending. Poe had lived in the Hosnian system for years while being stationed at fleet headquarters, he knew his way around the planet already. After her brother’s behaviour, Rey had no problem coming up with her own schedule for their visit. 

They settled on a holo, a comedy they had both seen. It was something mindless to pass the time. She looked over at Poe, he already looked ready to fall asleep again. She tried to concentrate on the movie but the next thing she knew was her uncle shaking her awake. She rubbed her eyes trying to focus. They had both fallen asleep and were now tangled together. Her head was cushioned on one of Poe’s thighs, his arm draped loosely over her. Luke looked far too amused for her liking. 

“Rough night?” he asked. He was smiling at her though. 

She rose gently, trying not to disturb Poe. “It’s been a very busy few months, I suppose it just caught up to us after the stuff with Ben.”

“Yes, I’m sure that’s all,” her uncle’s replied with a smirk. “Your parents are still deciding what they want to do. Any thoughts about what you’ll want? I need to head back to the temple before you leave.”

“We already decided what we’re going to do,” she answered. “You’re free to join us if you’d like. I’d like to spend some time with you if you need to leave.”

Luke looked at her then the sleeping man beside her. She could feel herself flush, her uncle could always read her too well. 

“I think you two will be fine on your own, you said you’d made plans,” he said slyly. “We can train in the mornings if you want. I’m hopeful at least one of the Solo’s has been attentive to their lessons.”

They spent the next three mornings working on making sure her skills were still up to par. She had hoped to train with her brother before arriving but her uncle was the one who helped her. Luke had to leave the next morning. She would miss her uncle, he was the main source of information on Ben. He still hadn’t said a word to her in days. She knew her parents had spoken to him. She had asked Poe to cancel all of the diplomatic meetings her brother had made originally. They’d been able to excuse her due to Ben’s ‘illness’. Instead, the afternoons were usually spent relaxing in their suite or Poe showing her the sights of Hosnian Prime. It was a strange experience being able to walk around so freely without being recognized. The evenings were another matter. 

Most of the events Ben had chosen were a novelty to Poe. He hadn’t really had the opportunity for things like concerts or plays on Yavin. Even living here, he hadn’t really attended. Pilots tended to want to relax while off duty, he had said, their job was stressful enough. So they’d decided to stick with the evening events as planned. 

She was looking forward to this part. Poe would need to act as a proper escort at these events with Ben being, well Ben. Rey was glad for the new clothing she had chosen. It had worked at the ball, she hoped he would notice here too.


	16. Chapter 16

_She’s trying to murder me._ Despite the tension her brother had caused, Rey seemed to be in a good mood most of the time. He’d made it his mission to get her to smile, it was insanely obvious whenever she started thinking of Ben Solo. She in turn was tormenting him with her evening wear. Since they basically had a date each night, he had to see her and touch her in the ridiculously dresses she’d decided to wear. Each one seemed to be perfectly tailored to give him a new glimpse of her body. 

Tonight’s creation had been fine until she turned to speak to BB8, showing it had absolutely no back. He’d spent more time in the fresher this week than when he was 13. There’s no way she can have a breast band on with that. Poe looked away, trying to slow down his breathing. His droid chirped goodbye, the shuttle was already here to take them to the gallery. 

“You alright Poe?” she asked as they left their apartments.

She had the hint of a smile. _She knows exactly what she’s doing._ He managed a nod, not trusting his voice. 

They were silent on the way there. Once they arrived, Poe extended his hand to her to help her out of her seat. He held his arm out so she could link hers with his. It really had begun feeling like they were on a series of dates. He escorted her like this every night, it seemed the easiest way to keep unwanted attention from her. She said she was enjoying the anonymity it brought, just another couple out for the evening. They only had two more days here. Soon they would begin the trip back to her home. Poe really didn’t want to think about what would happen once they returned to New Alderaan. 

They browsed the various works of art, listening to her opinion on which she liked. He honestly wasn’t sure what was supposed to be considered good, her opinion would have to do. She stopped mid sentence, her other hand coming over to grip his suit jacket and angling her body so she was facing the other direction. 

Poe turned his head slightly, so he could whisper, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s him,” she whispered back, dropping her arms from his to lean into him. 

He scanned the crowd looking for someone familiar. “You’re going to need to be more specific.”

“Hux,” she replied. 

Anger welled up inside him. He couldn’t do anything to the prince but this guy? “Describe him.”

“Um, tall. Red hair. Very pale. Looks annoyed,” she said quietly. 

He scanned the room again, finding his target easily. “I won’t let him do anything, I promise.”

She was still tense against him so he placed one arm around her, hand rubbing her lower back gently. _I have no problem being a possessive ass to this nerf herder._ Hux looked far too young to be a General for starters. He was wearing a uniform, it looked far more fashionable than functional. He knew many planets had private armies of their own. They were rarely well trained, usually just well funded. This man seemed a perfect example of that. Wherever he was from probably had dozens of officers like him. They’d never seen a day of combat in their lives. He couldn’t help the chuckle. 

Rey pulled away slightly to look at him. “Glad I’m amusing you,” she said bitterly. 

“You would have eaten that man alive Rey,” he said with a smile. “I could beat that guy with one hand tied behind my back but you would have slaughtered him. I’d pay good money to watch that actually.”

She risked a peek at the man. “You think so?”

He snorted. “If that man’s dangerous, I’ll give you my x-wing.”

Rey laughed. The room had been a quiet murmur all night, so the sound carried everywhere. He noticed several people start, looking for the source. Of course the black satin ninny had to be one of them. 

Poe barely had a second to warn her before the man was in their space. “Your Highness, I’m so glad to see you again,” he simpered. “I’ve been having trouble contacting the prince and that silly Wookiee of his wouldn’t let me into your apartments.”

She glanced at him for a moment. Poe gave a reassuring nudge with the hand still placed on her back. “I’m sorry General, I wasn’t aware you were trying to contact him. Ben’s been ill the last few days. I had to find new lodgings away from him, it’s very contagious,” she lied smoothly. “Chewbacca was just protecting you. My brother will be fine in a few days though.”

Hux’s nostrils flared, his eyes narrowed slightly. “I’m sorry to hear that Princess. I was looking forward to spending more time with you.”

Rey gave one of her many fake smiles. “Well my escort is doing a wonderful job of showing me the planet. Perhaps my brother will invite you to Alderaan the next time he visits. We can become acquainted there. Poe has been keeping me so busy, I doubt I’ll have any spare time to meet you again while we’re here. I’ll be leaving shortly.”

It took the man a few seconds, his mouth working before he could manage some semblance of a smile. “Yes, that sounds lovely. I hope to see you again soon.” Hux managed to give Poe a dirty look before turning on his heel to walk away. 

She let out a shaky breath as they watched him leave the gallery. “I think Hugs got the hint,” he chuckled. 

“Hux,” she corrected absently. 

“Nope, I’m calling him Hugs,” he replied smiling. 

She raised her brow at him. “I don’t think I’ve ever met someone in so desperate a need of hug as that guy. I think the name suits him,” he replied. 

 

****

 

She knew she was pacing like a caged animal. She was sure the flowing material of her dress made her look like she was caught in a windstorm. They were leaving tomorrow and Ben still hadn’t said a word. She had spoken to her parents after dinner but they’d been little help. He’d been just as obstinate with them. After the initial talk, he’d apparently ignored them too. Poe’s words kept repeating in her head, maybe this is what he’s actually like. 

“You need to sit down,” Poe said with an eye roll. “You’re going to make a hole in the floor.”

“Well I need to make a hole in something,” she muttered. 

He sighed before reaching out his hand to her, “Let’s go.”

“I really don’t care if we go to the opera tonight,” she said taking his hand. 

“Then why’d you get dressed up?” he asked as he pulled her up. 

_Because I look damn good in the dress._

He laughed, “No ones denying that. I was talking about seeing your brother though.”

She flushed and dropped his hand, she hadn’t meant so say that out loud. “He’ll just stay in his room as usual,” she replied. 

“So grab your lightsaber and cut the door down,” he said. His eyes widened. “No. Bad idea.”

“I think it’s a brilliant idea,” she replied walking to her room. 

She felt his hand on her shoulder so she turned to face him. “Yeah in theory. But then you are very armed. If I can’t kill him, you can’t either.”

Rey huffed. “Well what I can I do then? He’s being a coward,” she fumed. 

He held his hands up in surrender. “No arguments from me. There has to be a better way though.” 

“Master and Mistress idiots,” BB8 whistled. 

_Mistress?_ She turned to the droid, “What do you mean?”

BB8 just rolled towards the door, dome turning back to look at them. They glanced at each other before following. The lift took them upstairs and she knocked on Ben’s door. Chewie answered quickly, giving a soft growl in greeting.

“Take a break, Poe’s here. I’ll be fine,” she said to the haggard looking Wookiee. She gave him a hug before he left to his own rooms. 

He must have been really tired, he agreed far too easily. BB8 rolled to her brother’s room and asked them to remove a panel in the wall. He plugged himself in, and the door opened. She couldn’t help the small bit of sympathy that bubbled up, Ben looked awful. She could see several trays of food littered around his room, mostly looking untouched. His hair looked greasy and lank and his skin pale. 

“Get out!” he shouted. “You’ve ruined everything!”

She was shocked. Ben had always had a temper but he’d never yelled like that at her before. She could feel Poe stepping closer to her, anger radiating off of him. “What did she ruin?” he spat. “Some precious trade route? Does your sister’s happiness mean that little to you?”

“Quiet farmer,” he replied disdainfully. “This doesn’t concern you.”

She shot her brother a look before walking to Poe. She placed her hand on his arm, trying to soothe him. “It might be better if you wait outside.”

She knew he wanted to refuse. He looked between her and Ben repeatedly, his breathing heavier than normal. “I’ll be in the hall. You do anything, and I mean anything to hurt her, I’ll make the Wookiee seem like toddler.”

Ben scoffed but Poe kept his word, turning to leave the room, BB8 reluctantly following. She watched until he left the apartment, waiting for the door to close completely before rounding on her brother. “Well? Is he right? I never thought you hated me before now.”

Ben raised himself to his full height, stepping closer to her so she had to look up to meet his eyes. “You’re a child and a foolish one. Some crush isn’t going to stop this. You need to make an advantageous marriage. Hux would have been perfect but you’ve ruined it.”

“Ruined what?” she asked. “And Poe has nothing to do with this. Finn could have come with me and I still wouldn’t have liked the man. He’s an arrogant bore, I never would have been able to love him.”

Ben smirked, “Love? Love is an impossibility for us. It does nothing but destroy. You’d have been better off just agreeing but it’s too late now.”

She wanted to scream at him. “It, you keep saying it! Explain Ben. What’s so wrong?”

“It,” he chuckled mirthlessly, “doesn’t matter anymore. You’ll find out soon enough. Just remember I was the one who tried to stop it all. Enjoy being the farmer’s whore while you can. We don’t get happiness.” Ben turned on his heel and returned to his room. 

She pounded on the door, tried to force it open but to no avail. She could feel the frustrated tears falling down her cheeks. He’d done nothing but make her more confused. She pounded on the door one final time, but she didn’t really expect a response. She walked out of the apartment, passing Poe and BB8 to bring the lift back. She kept her head down, trying to hide her tears. 

She stiffened when she felt his hand on her back. Poe was guiding her inside the elevator, she’d been so distracted by Ben’s words she hadn’t heard it arrive. She had no idea what he meant, no idea when he’d become so bitter. The gentle pressure was back, Poe leading her from the lift to her bedroom. 

Rey collapsed on her bed, not caring that she would spend an unpleasant night sleeping in her dress. Poe sat on the edge of her bed but kept looking between her and the door. She wondered if he knew how obvious he was being. “Stay. You can’t do anything to him. Something is very wrong with Ben, neither of us can fix it. Especially not tonight.”

He gave one last glance at the door before sighing. “Are you okay?”

She managed a watery chuckle. “No, not even close. Can you stay?”


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG it’s an update!!! All I can say is I’m sorry, the joys of being a single parent at the end of the school year. Updates should be a lot more regular now. Enjoy and don’t be mad, I love me some angst with a happy ending. And apparently we needed more angst.

REY

 

She felt incredibly groggy, it had definitely been an uncomfortable night. Rey looked down towards the floor of her room, Poe didn’t look like he’d fared much better. He had slept beside the bed, using one of her pillows and his jacket as a blanket. It had felt like hours before she had finally fallen asleep and she knew he had been shifting around on the floor for at least as long as she had been on the bed. He’d insisted on not sleeping in her bed if she wanted him to stay though. 

She slipped out of the room as quietly as she could to head for the fresher. BB8 chirped as soon as she appeared. “He’s not missing, he just fell asleep in my room,” Rey answered the droid. 

He whistled frantically this time. “Kriff! Go wake him up, we didn’t mean to sleep so late,” she replied. 

Rey rushed through the basic necessities before quickly packing her toiletries. Poe was waiting on the other side of the door when she exited. “Can you ask Chewbacca to come down? We’re already an hour behind, we need to get out of here,” he said hurriedly. 

Rey agreed as they switched places. She definitely wanted to give the Wookiee a proper goodbye, she’d barely had much time with him because of Ben. Even just his name made her chest feel tighter. She took a deep breath before contacting Chewie to come down to their rooms. He’d given her an angry growl, he had thought they’d left already without saying goodbye. 

She returned to her room, adding her toiletries to one of her cases. She’d completed most of her packing before the confrontation thankfully. Changing into a new dress, Rey added the rest of her possessions and closed the cases. Once she’d exited her room, Chewie engulfed her in a hug. He gave a series of soft howls. “I know. I wish this week had gone completely different too,” Rey replied softly. 

When Poe was ready, the four headed towards the elevator. Once they had exited, Poe walked swiftly towards their ship calling BB8 to him leaving her and Chewbacca alone. She appreciated having a few moments of privacy to say goodbye. “Take care, and please don’t let what happened worry you. I’m sure mom and dad will find out what happened.”

He helped her store her cases in the cruiser before giving her one final hug. She could hear the ship’s engines warming up, Poe must be in the cockpit. The Wookiee exited, and she shut the hatch. Rey walked towards the front of she ship to see him still watching as Poe prepared for take off. He glanced over at her as she seated herself in the copilot’s chair.

Take off was uneventful as expected and they entered hyperspace. It felt strange to be returning home. She had to wonder how her parents would treat her now after the recent revelations. _Would they be more protective? Would they send Poe home? Would nothing change?_ She needed time to think. 

Poe looked exhausted. She probably didn’t look much better but at least she had woken naturally. “Why don’t you get some sleep? I can put us on autopilot,” she spoke. 

He looked ready to argue but only asked if she was sure. With her nod, he headed towards their bunks. BB8 followed his master leaving her in solitude. She switched seats and set the autopilot. Rey decided to used her time to meditate, they still had more than a day before they reached New Alderaan. The familiar calm of the passing stars allowed her to easily enter the trance. She needed to let go of the anger she was harbouring, she wouldn’t be able find a solution otherwise. She wasn’t sure how long she had meditating when she felt a familiar lurch, it had happened far too often on the Falcon. They had dropped out of hyperspace far too soon. She scanned the controls, trying to find the reason. No alarms were sounding making it easy to hear the pounding footfalls as Poe ran. 

She turned to speak to him, but she turned back almost immediately when she saw the shock on his face. It was impossible, they had all been destroyed. After the war any Imperial ships and weaponry had been dismantled. Plans had been destroyed. Technology even remotely similar was outlawed but the large triangular ship was unmistakable. They had dropped out of hyperspace within range of a Star Destroyer. 

Poe managed to overcome his shock first, bringing the shields online. “Do we have sublight?” he demanded. 

She tried to concentrate on the controls and not the the danger in front of them. “Yes,” she said breathlessly. 

“Go check out the hyperdrive, you’re better at the mechanical stuff,” he said as he moved closer to the pilot’s seat. “We need to get as far away from them as we can, hopefully they haven’t seen us. If they built that thing, they aren’t playing by the rules so who knows if they have a tractor beam or if they’ll just shoot us down.”

She rose to comply when the first volley hit. Even with the shields the blast knocked them both down. She had no idea Poe was so creative at swearing. She had at least fallen back into her chair but he had been knocked to the floor. “We need to get out of here,” he panted, rubbing his elbow. “The shields on this thing can’t last long against a kriffing Destroyer.”

She rose quickly moving to the copilot’s set. “You fly, I’ll try and find the problem.”

He complied without comment, seating himself before turning the ship away from their attackers. She tried to diagnose the problem but the ship’s computer was showing all systems were online. “I need to see it,” she muttered leaving the cockpit. Rey had no choice but to hold the wall for support, they were still being fired upon and Poe’s attempts to evade the blasts kept rocking the ship. BB8 was there, multiple cords protruding from his body, holding him in place. He squealed a question but she ignored him. 

Lifting a hatch, she dropped herself down. The burnt smell was obvious. Some of the circuitry leading to the hyperdrive was completely fried. She pulled it, trying to see the wiring behind. If she could find a work around to get them at least far enough away to be safe, they could call for help. Instead of the wires she had been expecting, she found a small device that definitely looked like it didn’t belong.

She pulled herself up and returned to the cockpit, the short walk even more difficult. The shields were failing. Poe must have known it too, she could see them approaching a planet. “We have to land?” she asked, strapping herself back into the seat. 

“No choice, I checked where we are and this system isn’t Republic so no fleet. I’d rather try making us hard to find than getting shot down,” he said tersely. 

POE

Seeing the large swaths of green had been a comfort. Trees meant oxygen. And cover from air support. If they could find somewhere to hole up, they might have a chance. Poe landed their ship as close as possible to the nearest tree line. “We gotta move now, we need to get as far away from the ship as possible. They might just start firing from space,” he ordered. 

Rey at least was listening, she unbuckled herself quickly and was behind him in seconds. He heard the metallic thump as his droid dropped to the floor of the ship. 

“Come on BB8, hurry,” he said distractedly. He was hoping the terrain wouldn’t hold them up too much. He grabbed the go bag he had stashed near the ramp, happy he had been over prepared. The three jogged (or rolled in BB8’s case) into the forest. The ground was uneven due to debris from the trees but relatively flat. 

He tried to remember the Pathfinder skills his father had taught him when he’d been younger. The ground seemed relatively dry, so tracking them would be more difficult. He choose a direction at random and started a brisk pace. Rey tried to speak but he merely held a finger to his lips and kept walking. He had no idea what kind of animals were native here. 

The sound of ships hitting atmo was a relief, they most likely wanted them alive then. _Or more likely they wanted Rey alive._ It was too much of a coincidence that they had dropped out of hyperspace right in front of the Destroyer. But for now, he had to find them shelter. He could think about possibilities later. The ground was getting slightly rockier, making it harder for the droid but it would cover their tracks better. He decided to change their direction when the ground started to incline. Higher ground was great if you were looking to be rescued but not if you were trying to hide. He could hear the sound a several ships flying overhead already. 

Poe peeked back at Rey. She was in better shape than he was but she had been wearing one of her unpractical dresses. She looked scared and dirty but he didn’t dare stop yet. He kept going as he unslung the bag from his shoulder. The canteen was near the top so he could easily reach it. Taking a quick drink, he passed it to Rey. She took it gratefully before passing it back. She looked like she wanted to speak but was thankfully staying silent. They kept walking for what must have been hours, their pace had definitely slowed. It was starting to get dark but luck finally decided to show them some mercy. He noticed a hole in the in the rock wall he had been forced to follow after his last direction change. After BB8 verified there were no life readings inside, he did a quick double check armed with his blaster. It would be snug, but it would protect them the rapidly falling temperature. There was no way they could risk a fire. 

He handed Rey his bag, telling her to grab one of the rations for herself and set about trying to hide the entrance as best he could. That done, he entered their temporary home to find Rey had found the blankets and the small light he’d packed as well. He could barely see inside the cave, and he hadn’t been able to see the light from outside so he didn’t object to the the small comfort. He dug out a ration for himself, he hadn’t had anything to eat today. The second he finished she started speaking. She said sabotage, and it made sense. He had already thought the coincidence was too much. 

“I don’t want to scare you but fact that they seem to be looking for us probably means it was they’re behind it,” he said. 

“So what do they want?” she asked, exhaustion evident in her voice. 

_You._ “I can’t be sure but we really would be better off not finding out,” he said out loud. 

“So what do we do?” she asked softly. 

“Well when we don’t arrive tomorrow as planned, your parents will definitely worry. All we can hope is they check for the tracking beacon as soon as possible,” he replied. _And hope that wasn’t tampered with too._

“But if someone comes they’ll get shot at!” she exclaimed. 

He sighed. “Yes but they’ll just jump away most likely. And then they’ll come back with help,” he said as hopefully as he could. “Worst case if they don’t return on time, your parents will get Amy to help. She’s not stupid, she’d send a scout first. As soon as she sees an Imperial ship, the whole damn fleet will be here. The safest thing we can do is stay hidden for now.”

“That still means someone dies because of us,” she said softly. 

Poe shifted closer, pulling Rey closer. Her head dropped to his shoulder and he tried to ignore the soft sniffles he could hear. “That’s not on us. Those bastards built an outlawed ship. They attacked us for no reason. We aren’t responsible for their crimes,” he said, hoping to reassure her. 

“I’m scared Poe,” she said raising her head to look at him. “I didn’t even have a chance to grab my lightsaber.”

“We aren’t going to fight them unless we have to,” he stated. “I’m not going to fight them unless we have no other choice.”


	18. Chapter 18

She knew he was lying. It was their fifth day where ever they were. He looked haggard, like he hadn’t been sleeping at night. He kept insisting they were fine but she knew they were running out of time. The bag had been full when they arrived, blankets, light, rations, canteen. It was noticeably lighter now. They had found a new cave yesterday after dark. Poe had been worried it was only a matter of time before they were discovered if they stayed where they were. She knew what it had really meant, the words he wasn’t saying, they should have been rescued by now. She ran a finger over his cheek, his usually smooth skin was now a full beard. He didn’t even stir and he’d even forgotten to turn his droid back on, he was so tired. That or the backup power was almost out too. 

She turned the lamp off, BB-8 was more important than her comfort. She was hardly a child and certainly not scared of the dark. Rey turned back slightly to snuggle with Poe. It was a little strange how less than a week ago he was refusing to do so but now they really had no choice. It was cold during the night, especially since they couldn’t risk a fire. The blankets helped very little in the dead of night. She wished she could see his face again, she wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep. She didn’t want to consider it but if he was this worried, they were in trouble. 

She wanted to enjoy the feeling of being close to him, especially since she didn’t know how much longer it would last. The sound of ships overhead had only been during the day at first but it was now at night as well. They were still looking for them, and seemed determined to find their prize. She wasn’t sure she wanted to know what would happen if they were found. 

She shifted again trying to get comfortable, even with one of the blankets on the floor, stone was not exactly easy to sleep on. She realized her mistake when she heard him groan. “Sorry,” she whispered. 

He made an incomprehensible noise before she felt him shift. “What’s wrong?” he said, voice rougher than usual. 

“Nothing, I didn’t mean to wake you,” she replied. “You’re tired, sleep some more.”

She felt as he shifted again, the dim light from his chrono showing her his face. “I should go outside,” he said as he pulled away to sit up. “Need to see what they’re up to.”

“Are you insane Poe?” she spat. “What if they see you?”

“Haven’t seen me yet,” he replied with a yawn. 

She reached for the light again, turning it back on. He blinked rapidly, hand moving to cover his face. “Tell me you haven’t been going out there,” she demanded. “Tell me you haven’t been risking your life to ... I don’t even know what.”

He dropped his hand, eyes adjusted to the sudden brightness. “I’m doing my job Rey,” he said angrily. “I’m a fleet officer and those are karking Empire ships! They have stormtroopers searching for us! I need to find out as much as I can if we want to get out of here.”

_He said if. He’d never said if before._ “We’re going to die aren’t we?” she asked softly. “That’s why you’ve been lying.”

He looked startled at that. He looked away from her, head turning away. “I’m not a child Poe, tell me the truth,” she pleaded. “I thought you were different.”

“I’m not trying to treat you like a kid, Rey,” he said, turned back to face her. “I’m treating you like a civilian. You can kick my ass but I know you’ve never seen real combat. It’s a little different when it’s not two people sparring. They won’t stop if they hit too hard, they’ll use it to their advantage. You might be well trained but there’s no way you’ve got a kill count.”

“Fine, I’ve never killed anyone but I can still help,” she replied. “What’s the truth?” 

He sighed deeply. “It’s not good. We can’t use our ship and the beacon had to be messed with, it’s been way too long if it was functioning. I didn’t see anything that looked like settlements when we landed and I haven’t seen any signs of people since we got here so the planet is probably uninhabited,” he stated. “We’re running out of supplies and that leaves eating the local stuff which could kill us for all I know. We can’t cook anything because no fire. I can assume you’re parents have brought Holdo in by now so they’re searching our hyperspace route but that could take weeks. We’re getting to the point were we might have to do something really risky. Like steal a ship risky.”

_That’s what I get for wanting the truth._ “So how do we do that?” she asked instead of breaking down. 

He gave a bitter chuckle. “We can’t. The only ships I’ve seen them land so far are troop carriers,” he replied. “Completely useless, they’re short range. No hyperdrive and basically nothing more than metal boxes to shuttle troops back and forth.”

“So we do nothing?” she asked, the panic was starting to rise. 

He was up and sitting across from her instantly. “No,” he said softly. He cupped her jaw, thumb running back on forth in her cheek wiping away her tears. “We keep watching, move when we need to. We just need a better opportunity to come up or hold out long enough for the fleet to find us. I will get you home, Rey. If it’s the last kriffing thing I do, you will get home.”

She was tired, dirty and hungry. The stress of what happened with Ben was preferable to the complete uncertainty they were in now. She didn’t care anymore. She moved closer, settling herself in his lap. He was the only good thing she had at the moment, and she was going to hold onto that hope with everything she had. 

 

*****

 

He would never know how it happened, all he knew was he had a lap full of Rey hugging him tightly. He buried his face in her neck, enjoying actually getting to hold the woman he’d fallen in love with. He rubbed her back soothingly, feeling her relax slightly. He dropped a kiss to her shoulder, he wanted to enjoy this closeness as long as he could. They’d spent the last few nights huddled together but he’d been too worried to care. It was his job to protect her but he’d gone too far by hiding the reality from her. She wasn’t stupid, of course she’d seen through it. 

He was tired. He’d woken up every night multiple times, too uneasy to sleep fully. He would then sneak away, climbing a nearby tree to see what their enemy was doing. He made a report every morning, having his droid record it. If the worst happened, hopefully they would find BB8 and know of the danger. They had at least one advantage, these people had somehow managed to get their hands on Imperial tech but the troops themselves weren’t very well trained. Their search pattern was predictable, why he had doubled back to an area they had already searched. But the reality was they had no way off planet. The cruiser was useless and even if they could manage to take out the troopers guarding it and fix it, it had no weapons. If they wanted out of here, they needed a better ship or rescue to arrive now. 

Rey moved slightly, distracting him from his thoughts. “I should go out,” he whispered. “They’re only searching by air at night, I’m still trying to get a better idea of where they are with the ground troops. I want to know if they’ve set up camp or if they’re sending the stormtroopers back every night.”

“What does that tell you?” she sighed. “You don’t need to risk yourself for that. Star Destroyers can carry a lot of soldiers, everyone knows it. Who cares where they sleep, just stay here.”

He brought his had back up to her face. He was trying not to worry her but he knew things weren’t that simple. He had no idea how long they would keep up the search before giving up. If they were setting up camp it was long term, no camp was worrying. They might just quit and destroy enough of the planet by bombing it continuously, it wouldn’t be the first time the Empire had done it. They might not have a Death Star but they could still kill them easily enough. “The more information I have, the better I can plan,” he replied instead. 

She leaned into his hand, closing her eyes. “Stay,” she said quietly. “I won’t be able to do this if you’re gone.”

He closed his own eyes, pulling her back to his chest. She had to be his priority, he could always check in the early morning. “Yeah sweetheart, I’ll stay.”

He felt the tension leave her, making his guilt ramp up. This was all new to her, Jedi trained or not. The war with the Empire had still been on while he’d been young but she had missed it completely. He could still remember his parents leaving the farm for missions from time to time, the worry for each other and him when one of them left. Rey had never known anything but peace, it was just stories to her. 

He kept up the slow motion of his hand, it seemed to be doing the trick at least. She settled in further, making him sit up. If she kept that up, they would be in a very awkward position. He placed a kiss to her forehead before stopping his hand. “We should try to get some sleep before morning,” he said quietly. “I can turn on BB8 for a bit.”

It took a moment but she nodded. Rey rose from his lap to move back towards the bed. He moved to his droid, giving him instructions to watch the entrance. He rolled away with a soft affirmative. Poe joined Rey in their bed. _Kriff, their bed, I wish that was true._ She was watching him silently, so he give what he hoped was a reassuring smile before turning the light out. It was stranger than the last few nights, usually they didn’t go to sleep at the same time. It seemed whoever went to bed last would move closer to the other person for warmth. There wasn’t a lot of space between them, but it felt noticeable enough to him. It was completely dark in the cave now, his eyes were no where near adjusted anymore. 

She was the braver of the two, he could feel the shifting blanket as she inched closer. She pressed herself up against him completely, making him have to swallow the moan. _I’m the worst human being in the galaxy, I shouldn’t be enjoying this._ Her arm wrapped around his waist before she whispered a goodnight. He wrapped his own arm around her, reminding himself that he did not need a stormtrooper to catch him with his pants down. Literally. 

“Poe?” she asked quietly. He had thought she was falling asleep. 

“Yeah,” he replied just as quietly. 

“Would you kiss me?” she asked again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So stay at M or go to E? Thoughts?
> 
> Gives evil laugh


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note the rating change lol.

_What? I’m dreaming, I have to be._

“Poe?” she said anxiously. “Did you hear me?”

“Yeah, sweetheart,” his voice croaked. “Are you sure?” _I need you to be sure._

“If something happens, I want to have at least kissed you,” she said softly. 

He moved his hand slowly upwards to cup her cheek, giving her a chance to pull away. He was an inch from her face already, all he needed to do was lean forward. It was just a peck, he let it linger for a moment before pulling away. He did it again, lingering longer. He tried a third time, he should have known she would get impatient. Her arm reached around his neck, keeping him close. They shouldn’t be doing this, but he was honestly passed the point of caring. 

He deepened the kiss, enjoying her small sounds of contentment. Rey moved herself closer, pressing herself flush to his own body. He couldn’t help the small moan, he’d wanted her for too long. His arm slipped to her waist, keeping her close. She surprised him again, her leg lifting to wrap itself over his hip. His own hips bucked in response, Rey pulling away from his mouth with a gasp. He opened his mouth to apologize but her mouth was back on his almost instantly, tongue tangling with his. His hand slid down to cup her rear, thrusting himself gently between her legs. Her own hand repeated the manoeuvre, bucking back against him. He wanted nothing more than to bury himself inside her but they couldn’t, not on a cave floor, hiding in the dark. 

Their hips continued grinding against each other. Poe moved his hand across her body to knead her breast gently. Her dress was made of a thin soft fabric, making it easier to slide across her nipples. She pulled away from his mouth, panting softly. He wanted to see her but he didn’t want to pull away to turn the light on. He used her breathing to figure out what she liked best, alternating between kneading her flesh, stroking the soft underside and circling her sensitive nipples. He wasn’t going to last much longer, her movements were becoming more frantic. 

“Can I touch you Rey?” he asked, voice hoarse. “I want to make you come with my fingers.”

Her hips bucked harder against his as she let out the moaned ‘yes’. Poe slid the dress up over her hip before moving a hand to slide into her underwear. He spread the wetness he found around her centre. One finger entered her slowly making her clutch at him. He pumped the digit slowly before moving his thumb to touch her clit. Her whispered more made him add a second finger, he could feel her body easily accommodating it. He could feel her orgasm approaching swiftly so he moved his head to kiss the skin at her neck. It didn’t take long before he could feel the pulsing around his fingers as she let out a sharp cry. 

He pulled out once the sensation stopped, his own imminent orgasm demanding attention. He pulled away slowly, her boneless body sagging to lay down beside him. Poe moved to get up but she stopped him. “Where are you going?” she asked quietly. 

He was glad for the darkness, he could feel the heat rush to his face. “I ... uhhh,” he faltered. _Well that made sense._

She pulled him back, keeping him in place. She gave a soft ‘oh’ when she discovered the problem. “Can I touch you now?” she asked softly. 

_I’m definitely dreaming._ He undid the pants to push them down. Her hand was tentative as explored, fingers moving up and down his length. Rey wrapped her hand around him, fist moving slowly. He wrapped his own hand around hers to tighten the grip, showing her how he like to be touched. It wasn’t long before he felt himself come, hips bucking up towards their joined hands. Neither of them had extra clothes so he used the blanket to clean them both up. He was so tired, everything that had happened on Hosnian Prime, Imperials chasing them and now this? He was asleep almost instantly. 

 

*****

 

Someone was shaking her. It took her a moment to realize what was going on. “We have to move now,” Poe said urgently. 

“What’s going on?” she asked as he helped her up. 

“They landed a command shuttle, at least I think that’s what it is,” he said excitedly, “If we hurry, we might be able to get out of here on it. They’ve only got the pilots and a couple of escorts guarding it for now. We need to move before more troopers show up.”

They both packed up the the remaining supplies as quickly as they could. He grabbed the bag from her, and took off his jacket. “Put this on okay? The dress doesn’t really blend in,” he said quietly. She complied easily, slipping it on over her shoulders. He gave the bag back to her, blaster in his hand. 

He held out his other hand and she took it, following him back into the forest. She wasn’t quite awake, their late night and the chaos of the last two weeks had been mentally, emotionally and physically exhausting. Except for last night, the latter part anyways. She didn’t know what had finally made her brave enough to ask. Maybe the thought of never getting out of here, never seeing him again if he’d gotten caught, maybe being tired; all she knew is she would never regret it. Despite walking towards something even he considered risky, she had a smile on her face. He did want her back, she knew he had to after what had happened. 

The trees were thick here, she couldn’t see where they were headed but he at least seemed to know where he was going. He stopped, releasing her hand before moving further away. She knew she was supposed to stay where she was but it wasn’t easy. He was still in sight, walking slowly, trying to avoid making any noise. He finally waved a hand to her, she and BB-8 going to join him. He pointed forward, she could see the ship, wings folded upwards. She’d heard about Endor hundreds of times, Poe was right, they could get out of here on that. The two TIE fighters who must have been the escorts were parked on either side. She could see the soldiers standing around, there were only five. _Maybe we can get out of here._

“Okay, you guys need to stay here,” he whispered. “I’m going to move away and take out the troops. When I stop firing, you run and start it up. If I’m not there in two minutes, take off and go home. BB8 has my clearance code, use it and go straight to Holdo. He’s got my reports, she needs those ASAP.”

“I’m not leaving without you!” she said angrily. “Just take them out from here!”

“I’m not risking you getting caught in the crossfire!” Poe hissed back. “If they’re firing at me, you two are safe.”

“But,” she started, only to be cut off

“No Rey,” he said firmly. “You need to listen. I’m a good shot and I’ve had sniper training, I’ll be fine. You need to get BB-8 back to base, the Republic needs to know about them. We don’t have time to argue, more troops are probably on the way. If we don’t do this now we’re dead.”

She gave a small nod, he was most likely right. He turned to his droid calling him away for a moment. She watched him bend down, talking to the droid. He pulled something out of his pocket, slipping it into a slot that had opened up in front of BB-8. She had no idea what he was doing but the wait was making her anxious. He rose once the slot was closed, walking back towards her. His face was blank, so different than usual. Once she had spent a little time with him, he was easy to read but now she couldn’t tell what he was thinking. 

He reached her, talking her hand. “Rey, two minutes okay? Don’t wait for me,” he said quietly. “You need to promise. The navy needs this information.”

She exhaled slowly. “Fine, I promise,” she replied. “You promise me to be there in two minutes.”

He gave her a tight smile. “I promise to try,” he said, leaning in to kiss her. 

She held him as tightly as she could, not wanting to let go. She had to trust him, her parents had hand picked Poe. If he said he could handle this, she was going to believe him. He pulled away, eyes shut. They opened up slowly, looking her over, like he was memorizing her. The anxious feeling returned, she tried to push it aside. He gave another tight smile before walking further into the woods. She watched until she couldn’t see him any longer. Rey motioned to the droid, trying to get as close as she could to the tree line without being spotted. 

It took a few minutes, the tension in her belly making her feel nauseous. The blaster fire was far enough away from her but still felt incredible loud. She could vaguely hear the shouts of the stormtroopers, shouts of pain, return fire and barked orders mixing together. The silence took a moment to register. She peeked through the trees, moving the branches slowly. She could see the bodies lying on the ground, but catching movement out of the corner of her eye was the real reassurance. Poe was running in the direction of the ship, looking in her general direction. She sprinted past the tree line to meet him. 

She tried not to look down, keeping her eyes on Poe. He looked unharmed just dirty like he had been laying on the ground as well. BB-8 was already moving inside the ship, they both followed after. Poe went to the controls, starting the command ship for take off. She dropped the bag on the floor, sitting in the copilot’s seat to familiarize herself with the controls. 

“Kark!” he exclaimed suddenly. 

She looked at him before following his gaze. It had to be a full squadron, their white armour stood out clearly against the trees. “What do we do?” she asked worriedly. 

Poe was still looking out, worried look on his face. “You go, I’ll hold them off,” he replied

The dread filled her completely. “No! I’m not leaving you here to die!” she shouted. 

“I’m not going to die,” he said with a smile. “I’m going to cover you with one of the TIE’s. I’ve always wanted to fly one of those things.”


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Climax time people, just not the sexy kind :(
> 
> That will come later, I promise. Don’t kill me.

She didn’t want to, but Rey agreed to split up. He was used to combat in a smaller craft, not any kind of transport. As soon as the troops saw the bodies they would get in touch with the Destroyer and it was game over. He just had to keep them off her until she could get into hyperspace and he would jump right after her. She took off smoothly but the stormtroopers obviously knew something was wrong. They starting running towards them, their window to get away clean had to be closing fast. He took a second to get a feel for the controls before aiming a few shots towards the troopers. It made a nice dent in their numbers but he wanted to keep close to her. All it took was one comm to the Destroyer and she would be fired on. 

It was already too late. He could see the other TIE’s launching from the Destroyer, she better jump soon. He veered towards the approaching ships, hoping to give her more time. He knew the second she jumped, the other TIEs stopped trying to get away from him and started to attack. All he had to do was keep them off him long enough to make his own way into hyperspace. 

_You’ve got to be karking kidding me!_

 

*****

 

It took less than a day to finish the jump, but those were some of the worst hours of her life. She had Poe’s bag but the thought of trying to eat made her feel ill. Sleep would be almost impossible, she knew she wouldn’t be able to drift off. Even BB-8 seemed to give off a nervous vibe, the droid hovering near her. She tried to reassure both of them, Poe was a good pilot, he would be fine. She didn’t dare to use the ship’s communications system, she didn’t know who she would reach. The alarms finally went off, letting her know she was finally home. 

“Attention unknown craft, please identify,” the voice demanded. 

She nodded to the droid, letting BB-8 know it was time. “This is Rey Solo, I need to be patched through to Vice Admiral Holdo immediately,” she said with all the authority she could. 

The man’s voice faltered, “Can you verify that?”

“Put Holdo on now, she can verify it,” Rey demanded. “This is an emergency!”

There was a moment of silence before the familiar voice came on. “Rey? Is that you?” the admiral’s voice said nervously. 

She almost cried while trying to reply. “It’s me Amy,” she said with a hiccup. “I’ve got Poe’s clearance code if you need it. His droid has reports you need to see now. He should be jumping in any minute. I don’t want to say more, you’ll understand when you see the ships were in.”

“I’m so glad you’re alright. Head to the base,” she replied. “I’ll contact your parents and have someone escort you right to me.”

She gave a quick yes before heading towards the capital. She took a moment to appreciate the view, after the last few days, she had wondered if she would ever see her home again. She managed to land the ship, noticing the gaze of all the soldiers around. Once she exited it was easy to see the fear in many of their eyes, particularly the older ones. They had to recognize the design, they knew what it meant. She wasn’t surprised to see several of them reach for their sidearms. 

One officer stepped forward, and introduced himself as her escort. He lead her into the base and it wasn’t long before she was brought to what must be the command centre. The admiral was easy to spot, her hair a bright turquoise now. She was looking out the large windows overlooking the landing area, the dread easy to see on her face. It wasn’t until she was beside her that Holdo turned and engulfed her in a hug. 

It was brief. She wasn’t used to seeing Amilyn like this. Gone was the sarcastic, laidback woman she usually saw. She was replaced by a confident woman, ordering that all ships be scrambled in case of attack and ground troops readied to evacuate civilians. She turned back to Rey, wanting to know what she needed to see. BB-8 rolled closer, a small projection of Poe appearing. She hadn’t realized how much sleep he must have been missing. The reports were short, but he had obviously been watching the troops movements closely. She didn’t have a chance to watch all of them, she was surrounded by a familiar set of arms. 

She turned quickly before sinking into Finn’s chest. Her best friend held her tightly but stepped away soon after. She was pulled in again by Chewbacca. She didn’t have time to ask why he was here before both her parents were demanding their own hugs. The stress of everything finally decided to overtake her, sobbing harshly into her father’s coat. It was over, she was home. The relief didn’t last long, she was drying her tears when Holdo came to break up the reunion. 

“I need you to tell me what happened Rey,” she asked gently. “If you need something ask but I have to contact Fleet headquarters as soon as possible. They need to know someone is using Imperial technology again.”

She could see the shock on her parents faces. They had worked for years to dismantle Palpatine’s legacy. She only asked for a chair and some water before telling everything she could remember. Well almost everything. That was no ones business but her and Poe’s. She could feel her mother’s grip get tighter on her hand as she told them how they had escaped. Holdo waited until she had finished before looking towards one of the technicians. She watched the woman give a slow shake of her head to Amilyn, causing the woman to frown. 

“Do you remember how many TIEs there were before you jumped?” the admiral asked. 

Rey shook her head. “No, why?” she asked. 

She knelt down before the chair, taking her free hand. “Commander Dameron hasn’t jumped in yet,” she said softly. 

She was glad for the chair, she was sure she would have fallen over if she’d been standing. The droid gave a small whine, dome dropping forward. He rolled closer to her, reminding her of a child seeking comfort. She patted him gently, wanting the physical connection to Poe. 

It took a minute to find her voice again. “What are you going to do?” she asked firmly. “He risked his life to make sure we got away, so the fleet would know what’s going on. You can’t just leave him there.”

Holdo gave her tight smile. “I don’t intend to,” she replied. “I sent techs to check your starting coordinates and there’s a scout ship fueling up. We’ll find out what happened. You aren’t the only one worried about him, I promise.”

She wasn’t reassured but there was nothing more she could do. The adrenaline had worn off, making her feel exhausted. Her father helped her out of the chair, saying he would stay behind to find out what was going on. She hugged him again, her father might have gruff but it really was nothing but a front. Finn linked his arm with hers, helping her walk out the base to the waiting speeder. She didn’t want to admit how much she needed the help. They travelled back to the palace, BB-8 insisting he stay with her. No one mentioned the other person who should have been with them, the conversation mostly about how she was doing. 

“Did someone talk to Kes?” she finally asked once they arrived. 

“Of course honey,” her mother replied. “We let him know when you didn’t arrive back. We’ve been talking to him daily so he knows what’s been going on. I’ll contact him again once you’re settled.”

She nodded. “I want to talk to him too,” she replied. BB chirped beside her. “Of course you can be there.”

She could see the hesitation in the Queen’s eyes. “I’m the only one who can tell him what happened,” she stated. “I just need a minute to clean up and we’re both talking to him. I just need some caf once I get out.”

She ignored the confused looks on her mother and Finn’s faces and showered quickly. She was back in her parent’s rooms in no time, giving a small smile to the relieved looking Connix when she handed her a large mug before they contacted Poe’s father. It hurt to see the moment of happiness when he saw her crumble when he was told his son wasn’t with her. They would find him, he was still alive, she could feel it. Rey made good on her promise to him, giving him an invitation to the palace. She wasn’t going to let the man be alone right now. They finished up their call, the exhaustion was getting to her again. 

Leia took her hand again, giving a reassuring pat. She mentioned her tiredness, wanting to sleep for a while. The caf had kept her awake enough for now but she needed real sleep. They all understood thankfully, it was barely 0700 here. She rose to go to her room when the suite’s door opened. Chewie’s being here made sense all of the sudden as she watched her brother enter. Any thoughts of sleep fled as the anger welled up inside her. She marched across the room, ignoring his wide eyes as he saw her. She stopped directly in front of him before slapping him as hard as she could. The satisfying crack wasn’t enough to improve her mood. 

“Did you know?” she demanded. “Was this the it you were talking about Ben? Did you know they were back?”

His face became blank instantly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about Rey,” he said arrogantly. “I was just told you were back. I’ve been worried so I came home.”

“Worried? You called me a whore the last time we spoke! Rather convenient that the day after you start talking about how I ruined everything, I’m attacked by Imperial forces Ben!” she screamed. “You said so yourself that I’d find out soon enough! Did you know? If you did and Poe dies, I’ll kill you myself.”

“Enough!” their mother commanded, causing them both to face her. “What is she talking about Ben?”

 

*****

 

_Was everything they made kriffing shortwave? How in the hell did this thing no have a hyperdrive?_ A shot rocked the TIE, he didn’t have time to think about this. He wasn’t going to last long against a whole Destroyer full of enemies. Or the Star Destroyer itself. Rey and BB-8 were away, that was what mattered. He turned the ship around, heading straight for the larger ship. If he was going to die here, he’d damn well do as much damage as possible first.


	21. Chapter 21

“Answer me Ben!” her mother demanded. 

“She’s lying!” her brother replied. “I never said anything like that!”

She opened her mouth to scream at him again but her mother managed to speak first. “I’m far more likely to believe your sister than you right now,” she said with a forced calmness. “Everyone, and I mean everyone has said you’re acting oddly. Where’s 3P0 Ben? Chewie said you shut him off months ago for repair and hasn’t seen him since. You tried to marry Rey off to man we’ve never met. And what’s worse is you didn’t see a problem with that. You blocked your thoughts from Luke, you shut Chewie out. You shut all of us out! So enough with the lies, what is going on?”

“Nothing is wrong. If I’m so horrible, I’ll just go back to the senate. I’m obviously not necessary here now that your precious daughter is back!” he spat, turning to leave the suite. 

“If you walk out that door, you’re no longer senator,” Leia said, her tone was unmistakable. “Or my heir.”

That stopped him. “Rey, your uncle will be here soon,” the Queen said quietly. “Please tell him to come here as soon as he arrives and have Captain Antilles post guards outside my door. No one comes in or out until Luke is here.”

She knew her mother was furious, there was no point trying to argue about staying. Rey did as she was asked, more awake now that she had been. She sent the droid with one of the aides, it hadn’t had a proper charge in days. BB-8 was reluctant to leave, apparently thinking it was still needed to protect her. She gave the droid a weak smile, saying he could find her as soon as he was ready. She went to her room next to sit out on her balcony. Her uncle couldn’t come soon enough. She watched the sky eagerly waiting for a ship to head in their direction. Any ship. But she couldn’t help wanting to see a TIE fighter in particular. Finn arrived not long after, sitting down with her. She told him everything, he was her only brother now as far as she was concerned. 

They both headed down to the hanger when she saw a familiar shuttle arriving. Luke had her in his arms instantly. “I’m glad you’re safe. Where are your parents?” he asked once he had let her go. 

She lead him upstairs while she explained about Ben, his face blank. He knew what his sister wanted him to do if Ben didn’t cooperate. “We’ll get to the bottom of this,” he promised as he headed further down the hall to her parents’ rooms. 

Kes wouldn’t be here until at least tomorrow and her father hadn’t returned from the base yet. Finn was sticking close by, she honestly wasn’t sure if it was because he’d been ordered to or he’d just needed to for his own sake. They sat down on the couch in her room, curling up together like they had when they were younger. 

 

***** 

 

“You changed your hair,” he said, almost unable to recognize his own voice. _Kark, every part of him felt like it was on fire._

Holdo gave a weak smile. “Well one of us needs to be pretty Dameron,” she replied. “You look awful.”

Poe tried to laugh, it hurt like hell. Her frown deepened. “I’m sorry I had to have them wake you up,” she said quietly. “I need to know if you told them anything. Everything is still a bit of a mess.”

He tried to concentrate but his mind didn’t want to cooperate. “I don’t know,” he replied. “All I can remember right now is Hugs is one crazy bastard.”

She looked confused. “I’ll get the doctor,” she said as she turned to leave. “We can try again when you’re healed up more.”

“Rey!” he said as loudly as he could. “Is she okay?”

The Admiral turned back to gave his cheek a gentle pat. “She made it back,” Holdo replied. “You need to sleep more okay, the rest can wait.”

The next time he woke up, he didn’t feel like his x-wing was parked on his chest. He still felt groggy as hell but every inch of him didn’t hurt. He tried to sit up, left hand knocking into something. He turned to look, noticing the familiar head of hair. He pulled himself up before shaking his father’s shoulder. Kes sprang up, looking around before finally focusing on him. He was pulled into a hug, worried his ribs would end up broken again with the force of it. 

“Don’t you dare do something that kriffing stupid again!” he whispered. “You were damn near dead when they found you!”

“Pilot dad,” he replied. “Kinda my job to do stupid things.”

He pulled back sharply. “You stole a TIE fighter and tried to blow up a Star Destroyer from the inside by crashing it into the hanger to fire the guns on everything. Of course they caught you! You ended up being tortured for days Poe!”

“It seemed like a good idea at the time,” he said with a shrug. “And I’m not dead so it turned out okay really. How do you even know about that?”

His father looked a little murderous. “Stop being so damn flippant about this! You should have stayed in the shuttle with Rey!” he hissed. 

“I needed to make sure she got away,” Poe replied quietly. 

His father sat back down, anger fading from his expression. “You better damn well marry that girl,” he replied. “There’s big gestures and then there’s this level of stupidity.”

He couldn’t exactly argue about that. “I thought I was going to die,” he admitted quietly. “Didn’t see a lot of reason not to do something stupid. She’s okay right? I think I asked Holdo but I can’t remember.”

He didn’t like the look in his dad’s face. “She’s home,” he replied. “Things are just a little hectic for her right now. I’ll let her know you finally woke up at dinner tonight.”

Kes caught him up on some of what he had missed in the last three weeks. _Wasn’t that a kicker?_ He was being evasive about Rey, all he would say is she was too busy to come by during the days. Han and Leia had left the planet for some reason, leaving her to rule in her mother’s place. She had apparently come to see him a multiple times while he’d been unconscious, he couldn’t be too upset about that. She was going to be pissed, he knew that. Dad wouldn’t tell him anything about what was going on with the Imperials. He claimed he didn’t know so Poe would have to hope Holdo would be a little more forthcoming. They didn’t have a whole lot of time to catch up, the doctor would be by soon according to his dad. 

Poe found it a little strange meeting his doctor. The woman had been treating him since he’d been rescued but he couldn’t remember her at all. Kalonia at least was upfront about everything. They’d had to keep him unconscious, why he couldn’t remember her. He was done with the bacta treatments but he would still need to be checked by a therapist, fleet rules when torture was involved. _Lucky me._ She was keeping him here for at least a few more days for observation, he wasn’t looking forward to that. He wasn’t exactly a great patient, he knew that from experience. His dad reassured her Poe would comply. _Damn traitor._ At least the doctor agreed he could use the fresher, he felt like he hadn’t showered or brushed his teeth since he’d left Hosnian Prime. 

His father was being a bit overbearing, watching as he slid out of the bed. He was tired as hell but nothing hurt. He made it to the fresher no problem but as soon as the door was shut, he leaned heavily against the sink. He glanced up in the mirror, he vaguely remembered talking to Amy. Whatever they had done to him looked healed up. He had a new scar on his face, he probably would have a few more elsewhere. Other than being paler than normal and a severe case of bedhead, he looked like himself. 

He took off the clothing he’d been given. _Yep, definitely got some new scars. He didn’t even want to look at his back._ The shower was quicker than he wanted, he’d never felt so tired from just standing up. He managed to brush his teeth at least, happy to see someone had left some fresh clothing on the counter for him. Kes took one look at him before walking over to help him back into bed, he was asleep in no time. 

This waking up with other people being in the room had to stop. Holdo smiled when she noticed he was awake. “So can we have a coherent conversation now?” she asked, putting her data pad on her lap. “I knew they had you on the good drugs but you were a little out of last time.”

It was a odd giving a debrief in bed but he wasn’t exactly feeling up to much at the moment. He answered everything he could, a little surprised at how much she already knew. He wasn’t upset to hear that his not so favourite General had been caught and and a good chunk of the sympathizers with him. More than a few of the officers had no problem turning on Hux, they’d been happy to give information to the New Rebuplic in hopes of lighter sentences. The fleet was stationed in their home system looking for any stragglers and trying to clean up the mess they had made. The so called First Order had staged a military coup years ago, taking over the entire system, and since they weren’t part of the Republic, they’d been able to keep a tight reign with no one finding out. They’d started branching out into other outer rim systems, trying to recreate the Empire. 

And they really wanted to recreate the Empire. They’d found plans and started manufacturing replicas of everything short of the Death Star. The First Order needed someone Force sensitive in charge, or at least look like they were in charge to complete the facade. Who better than one of the children of two war heroes who had brought the Empire down and happened to be Darth Vader’s grandchildren? Hux had no problem talking during their little sessions. Ben Solo wasn’t right to be their new figure head, the man had bragged at how easy it had been to manipulate the Prince into doing what he wanted. He wanted Rey, she would have been a challenge, someone worthy to break. The guy was insane. Holdo frowned at the mention of the Prince. 

“Did he say anything else about Ben Solo?” she asked. 

“Not too much,” he replied. “Just that he’d used him. Why?”

“He’s being held on Hosnian Prime for treason,” she stated. “You might just have to testify when he goes on trial if Hux keeps refusing to tell us anything useful.”

He had no clue how he was supposed to reply to that. 

“Yeah shock is basically the reaction everyone around here has,” she said when he didn’t reply. “I don’t even know the whole story, just that he’s the reason we even found you. He gave up the First Order’s home system once we realized the Star Destroyer had jumped away from where you were first attacked.”

“I’m alive because of him?” he said skeptically. “We didn’t exactly get along.”

She shrugged. “You need to ask Leia about that,” she replied. “So do you feel up to the rest of the bad news?”

“Not really,” he answered. “But you might as well tell me.”

She went back to her data pad, searching for something before she handed it to him. He read the message three times, his gut clenching harder each time. “I got fired?” he said in shock. 

“You didn’t look at the date did you?” she asked with an eye roll. “Not to kick a guy when he’s down but there’s no way Han and Leia were going to keep you on as Rey’s bodyguard, not after the show you two put on at the ball. The speculation after you guys left, it wasn’t pretty. You both seemed a little too close, but no one could have expected something like this to happen so they let you guys go. I’m not going to complain though, you’re officially the head of my new x-wing squadron once you’re cleared for duty by the way. Unless you want to leave the service entirely, we’d be able to get you discharged after what happened.”

“Wait, what?” he asked in confusion. 

The woman was beaming. “There was an attack on the royal family of the planet I’m protecting,” she said smugly. “Do you know how much I was able to requisition from the fleet because of this? I’ve been trying to get a medical frigate and x-wings for years.”

“Glad I could help,” he replied sarcastically. 

“Do you not remember your lessons? Always turn a bad situation to your advantage,” she lectured. “Who am I kidding? If you did remember, you wouldn’t have done something so monumentally stupid. I seem to recall telling you you needed to stop with the self sacrificing mentality but you obviously forgot that.”

“Well it’s not like I planned to get caught,” he replied. “I couldn’t exactly study the technical specs back at the academy, they were all supposed to be destroyed. How was I supposed to know it didn’t have a hyperdrive?”

She frowned at him. “You could have gone back down to the planet,” she said. “We would have found you.”

“Or they could have shot me down before I got there. I was half expecting them to just bomb the planet,” he replied. “Plus Rey had all the supplies. I did what I thought was best, trying to take the enemy out.”

“Just be happy I don’t teach at the academy anymore,” she said as she got up to leave. “I could probably teach a whole semester just about this.”

He’d fallen asleep again, it was getting a little annoying how easily he kept doing it. “So with Holdo getting all those new x-wings, I’m sure you don’t mind giving me yours,” her voice said from across the room. “You did promise me it if you were wrong.”

His eyes snapped towards the owner of the voice, feeling relieved to see her with his own eyes. “It’s technically government property,” he replied with a smile. “I might need to give you something else instead.”

She walked over to the bed, standing over him. “I’m not sure if I should kiss you or punch you,” she said a bit angrily. 

“Can I pick?” he asked nervously. 

She sighed before leaning over to press her lips to his. Her hands were gripping his shirt tightly, like she didn’t want him to disappear. It felt a little unreal to him too, he was sure he was going to die on that Star Destroyer. 

“I don’t need to see that,” Finn stated as they broke apart. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you’re not dead but that’s basically my sister Poe.”

He laughed. It was nice to be able to do that without everything hurting. “Feel free to leave buddy,” he replied with a smirk. 

“I second that,” Rey added as she sat down. 

Finn huffed. “Feeling the love,” he said as he walked towards the door. “I’m really glad you’re okay. She’s been even more annoying than usual without you.”

She narrowed her eyes at him but the grin gave her away. “I’m not annoying,” she said primly. 

“Yes you are,” he said as he closed the door. 

They both watched him leave, the silence falling between them. “I didn’t think you were going to make it,” she whispered. “I couldn’t even recognize you when they brought you in.”

“It’s all still a little fuzzy at the end,” he admitted. “Pretty sure that’s a good thing.”

“So what happens now?” she asked quietly. “Someone tried to restart the Empire, Alderaan is in an uproar. And we ... I don’t even know what we are.” 

“I wish I knew what to tell you,” he said as he took her hand. “We can figure that out when I’m out of here.”

“I wouldn’t blame you if you quit after all this,” she said bitterly. “You were attacked because my brother is completely selfish, almost died and now I have no choice but to be Queen. I wouldn’t want to be near me if I had the choice.”

“Stop,” he said before she keep going. “You aren’t your brother, you’re nothing like him. Everyone has been telling me what an idiot I am for the stunt I pulled, you remember the thing you didn’t want me to do. I didn’t die, but if I had it would have been my fault. And I have to admit the Queen thing is a little terrifying, but it’s you so I really don’t care. And your parents fired me anyways.”

“What?” she yelled. 

Finn’s head popped back in the room, looking worried. They managed to convince him it was fine after a moment. They both helped each other fill in some of the blanks. She’d know everything except that he was no longer her bodyguard, Holdo had explained everything she’d known about what had happened to him while he’d been out. She’d been furious until he told her he would still be staying here, there was no way he was going to leave her after this. She let him know what had happened with her brother. Crazy or not, Hux had been playing a long game. No wonder Ben Solo had been charged with treason.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s finally done!!! 
> 
> So shout out to everyone who’s stuck by this story and me figuring out this whole writing thing. Every time I needed to go back and read the older chapters to double check something kinda makes me cringe so you’re amazing for sticking through this with me. I half expected to get maybe five people read it and a ton of hate mail instead you’ve all been fantastic. So big kudos to you xoxo. 
> 
> And note the new tag, there’s going to be some house cleaning in the bad guy department.

“Are you sure you remember what to say?” she asked as they waited. 

He pulled on his jacket again, he really didn’t want to do this. “I’m pretty sure I’m going to kriff this up no matter what,” he replied honestly. “Han looked way too amused last night at dinner. He’s going to make this as hard as possible.”

Kay laughed. “You’re probably right,” she said with a grin. 

He brushed off the imaginary dirt from his uniform. For the tenth time. The wait seemed to be the worst part but he was the one who wanted to wait until the end. Kay finally got the signal, opening the door with a whispered ‘good luck’. He walked the length of the room, ignoring everyone but the woman at the far end of the room. Leia looked calm, they had to have guessed what was coming, they hadn’t exactly made their intentions secret. He stopped at the far end of the room before giving the prerequisite bow. Other than that, this audience was as different as could be from the first one he’d had with the Queen. 

“Colonel Dameron,” Han said with a smirk. “You aren’t a citizen of New Alderaan. Why exactly are you here?”

Yep, he was going to make this as hard as possible. “If I remember right your Majesty, you’re from Corellia,” he replied with a grin. “Why exactly are you up there?”

At the crowd’s laughter, Han narrowed his eyes but Leia spoke before her husband could. “The Colonel has lived here for more than two years,” she said to the room. “He has just as much right to an audience as any citizen.”

“Thank you your Majesty,” he said before taking a deep breath. “I’ve come to ask permission to formally court Princess Rey.”

The room was silent thankfully, he had thought of too many worst case scenarios during the last few days. Several had included the entire room either screaming no or just plain laughter. “Has my daughter agreed?” she asked even though she already had to know the answer. 

“Of course,” he replied quickly. 

She gave him a smile. “Well then, I suppose we can have no objections. You have our permission Colonel,” she pronounced. “That will be all for today.”

He was more than happy to accept his dismissal, it had been a hell of a lot less hassle than he’d expected. He bowed again before turning to leave, glad the hard part was over. He kept his eyes fixed on the door, still unsure if he wanted to see the audience’s reaction. It’s not like this would really be a surprise, they’d spent the last year in each other’s company often enough. Everyone knew they were something, he’d been her escort to just about every function that had been held at the palace since the trials had ended months ago. 

It had been a little strange going to the Hosnian system again, especially without Rey. She’d had to stay on New Alderaan since her parents had gone with him. They might have cut off their son but they needed to know how his trial would go. Not surprisingly, all of the First Order leadership had been found guilty, most of them sentenced to death. Poe had had to testify against Hux, he’d been more than happy with the end result. He’d gone to only one of the executions, but he’d needed to see the General die for himself. His nightmares had improved a lot since then. 

Ben Solo’s trial had been a circus. Having the Crown Prince of one of the New Republic’s most prominent planets, son of two of the galaxy’s most well known people and a senator on trial for treason had to bring a lot of attention. He’d had to testify there as well but he honestly didn’t know how much influence what he’d said had on the outcome. Han and Leia had hired and paid for their son’s lawyer on their initial visit to the capitol but that was all the involvement they would have. They’d also gone to his apartments to retrieve the belongings the fleet hadn’t taken as evidence. They at least found their former protocol droid in storage, his memory had been wiped, probably overhearing something. Chewie would have noticed it immediately, so the droid had been kept hidden. 

Ben had lied for months instead of just coming clean to them, leading to what could have been his own sister’s death and the destruction of everything they had spent their lives working towards. Only the family knew that his uncle had had to threaten to go into his mind to find out what he knew about the First Order and their whereabouts before confessing everything. He’d known far too much about what Hux had planned and done nothing to stop it. He’d done the opposite, trying to keep himself clean while letting them gain some credibility in the senate by proposing their entrance into the Republic. Poe wasn’t sure how the man had thought bringing them into the New Republic would stop their plans. It would have been the opposite most likely, the galaxy would have ended up with another Palpatine without the ability to control the Force. Hux was power hungry enough to try to take over, going so far as to bring one of his most loyal people in to seduce the Prince. And all because he had made bad choice with a woman and didn’t want to admit it, there was now a potentially force sensitive orphan. The evidence that he was being blackmailed with his illegitimate child wasn’t enough to save him, Ben Solo was sentenced to execution as well. 

Everyone knew now about their bastard grandchild but Han and Leia would do everything they could for the boy. Having to grow up with two traitor parents would be hard enough on the poor kid, both of them executed before he had reached the age of two. The only hope they had would be to try and correct what they felt were their mistakes. He was actually a sweet toddler now, happy and smiling once they’d gotten him away from his fanatic mother. Phasma had been one of the few stragglers they had caught months after. They all hoped he would turn out as far different from his parents as he could. Poe was a little surprised that everyone took to the boy, even Rey. It probably helped that he looked more like his mother than his father. They couldn’t keep him on Alderaan, they didn’t want him to grow up with any expectations of ever being considered an heir to the throne but Luke had agreed to bring him to his home. If he did turn out to be a potential Jedi, he could stay with his adopted father instead of leaving home, something the Solo’s still felt was part of the reason their son had gone so wrong. He didn’t understand it but almost everyone seemed to be blaming themselves instead of putting the blame where it belonged. 

He took a deep breath again once he was through the door and back in the small side chamber. “It’s done?” Rey asked quietly. He wasn’t surprised she had snuck in for this. 

“Finally,” he said as he pulled her in for a kiss. 

They hadn’t been happy about the long wait but it had made sense. Ben’s betrayal, his capture, her new role as future queen, a new relative, the trials and a dozen other reasons had put their new relationship on hold, at least publicly. Kes had outed them almost right away to her parents. In the worst way possible. 

It was supposed to be a simple dinner. He’d been released from the hospital, her parents had found a lawyer and were back and his father was leaving to return home. It wouldn’t be a celebration not with the chaos of everything else but it should have been happy. 

“So have you two talked about when you want the wedding?” Kes asked during a lull in the conversation. 

No one said anything for a moment. Then everyone did. It took Han screaming for everyone to shut up before they all quieted down. “Who in the hell is getting married?” he thundered. 

His father turned to him. “You didn’t ask permission before you proposed?” Kes asked incredulously. 

“What the hell are you talking about dad!” he exclaimed. “I haven’t proposed to anybody!”

“You better not have!” Han threatened. 

“I didn’t!” he said. “I have no idea what he’s talking about!”

Everyone turned towards his father, wanting an explanation. “If you didn’t propose, why does she have the ring?” he asked. 

 

*****

 

She pulled the necklace from her under her dress. “You mean this?” she asked. 

The situation was sorted easy enough. BB-8 had stuck close to her until Poe had woken up. The droid had given her the necklace shortly after he had his first full charge. It had taken a week to finally get to Poe and she couldn’t wear his jacket everywhere she went during the tense wait. The necklace was his, she’d seen it on him, she just hadn’t understood the significance. She removed it reluctantly under everyone’s gaze. She was fairly certain she was in love with him but they were no where near ready for marriage. He slid it over his own neck, and it probably would have been the end of it if not for Finn. 

“Yeah seeing you two kiss once was enough for me,” he said breezily. “I really don’t need a repeat daily.”

It certainly didn’t help that everyone was a little high strung already but dinner had gone downhill from there. She waited for the moment her parents would forbid them being together but it never came. They would allow it, with conditions. They had to keep it quiet until Ben’s trial was over, the family needed to keep a united front with all the controversy. It was the worst possible time to throw in more rumours so they had to maintain their distance in public. Poe would have to move to the base anyways, but his invitation to the family wing wouldn’t be revoked. He joined them for dinners when he could, staying as late as possible when he did. She wasn’t surprised there always seemed to be someone around when he was at the palace. One bastard grandchild was enough apparently, her parents weren’t going to risk another. She finally had enough after a few months. 

“I’m just letting you know I’m going to get the implant,” she told her mother one morning when they were alone. 

Leia tried to say something but she cut her off. “You want us to wait a year before we can even look like we’re together but don’t expect us to keep living with the whole chaperone situation forever,” she stated firmly. “I’m sure if I talked to Amy, Kes or even Chewie I would find out you and dad didn’t wait until you were married. Don’t punish me for Ben’s mistakes, I’m just trying to be smart about this. Like an adult, which both Poe and I are if you remember.”

It had lead to another fight, they’d had more than a few lately. Her mother couldn’t seem to decide if she was thrilled that her daughter was standing up for herself or annoyed at her new found ability to say no. The Queen sighed in resignation, she wasn’t used to losing the fight so often. 

“Fine but promise me you’ll both take it slow,” she demanded. “You’re still young, this doesn’t mean you have to marry him. He’s your first love.”

She grinned. “You married yours,” Rey pointed out happily. 

Poe was a little surprised by the sudden freedom but he certainly wasn’t complaining though. They hadn’t been able to do anything more than kiss for months so they were more than happy to have some time alone. He couldn’t spend the night but they could certainly start exploring each other now that they weren’t constantly interrupted. 

“Are you sure?” he asked. 

She rolled her eyes. “Stop stalling and get on with it,” she teased. 

“So romantic,” he whispered as leaned back over to kiss her. “Lucky I love you so much.”

She was spared the need to reply when he finally lined himself up with her entrance. It felt like he’d been teasing her for hours, they both had the same day off for the first time since they could truly be alone. He must have touched every inch of her body twice by now, First with his hands then with his mouth but he wouldn’t let her return the favour. Poe had made sure she’d had an orgasm both times but she still wanted more. She finally felt him shift, the stretch wasn’t the most pleasant but it certainly wasn’t painful. Then he pulled back slightly and it was impossible not to moan. 

She wrapped herself around him, losing herself in the feeling of Poe finally being inside her. She could tell he was holding himself back, his thrusts were slow and even. She knew he was doing it for her benefit but she couldn’t wait until they could do this without him trying to be in complete control of himself. He was kissing everywhere he could reach, the sensations were becoming too much. She tightened her grip around his waist so she could rock her hips with his. He swore, moving to steady himself on one arm to reach between them with the other. She didn’t think she could come again but he somehow managed to get a third orgasm out of her body. She watched as he finally let himself go a little, pumping his hips harder a few times to find his own release. 

Poe pulled out slowly, helping her up so they could clean themselves up. “So that’s what all the fuss is about,” she whispered as her fingers played with the two rings that were now on the chain. At least one of their parents was completely on board with their relationship. 

He chuckled before pulling her closer. “It actually gets even better,” he whispered before kissing her again. 

They headed back to her room, Poe had brought a change of clothes for after the audience. Lunch was interesting, now that they were officially courting, there was no reason to keep up the pretence that they wouldn’t be married. They’d been together for years at this point, it was settled as far as the two of them were concerned. They’d been through too much already and survived, it was time to start planning the wedding. Poe and her father were smart enough to stay out of the negotiations, they would get married in eight months. They had to wait six to go through the official courtship, her mother insisted on an engagement ball a month after that so she’d insisted the wedding be no more than a month later. 

Their courtship breezed by. All of the rumours from their first meeting were alive and well once word had gotten around that they were in fact a couple. Holdo has made sure everyone knew who was responsible for helping to bring about the end of the First Order. Once he had been declared fit for duty, the newly promoted Poe and several others who had been there for his rescue had been forced to be recognized with a medal ceremony. He’d hated every second of it. It also meant he was back to being a prominent, well known person on New Alderaan. 

She had always hated the attention she received as Princess but it was far worse now. They both understood the interest as much as they didn’t like it. She would be Queen one day meaning the man she married would be Prince Consort. And father any future heirs. She’d laughed when Poe had realized he would have to take on an official royal position. Her father had been the one to actually ease his mind about that. If a former smuggler could manage the position, he certainly could. It would most likely be decades before either of them would need to take over the throne, Leia Organa never seemed to give up, even with the losses she had suffered her whole life. 

Poe actually seemed to get the worst of it, he was still living on base. His squadron were all new to the planet, they hadn’t known anything about how he knew the royal family. Once it got out he was with an actual Princess, his pilots had clued in to his constant disappearances. He took the ribbing. And apparently his pilots became very used to running laps. 

Finn was happy for them, as long as he didn’t need to see anything as he put it. He had never been happy when he’d been put on chaperone duty. Another argument had happened when she insisted Finn would be the man of honour at her wedding. He was her best friend, brother and childhood playmate. She wouldn’t have it any other way. Having both their daughter and godson gang up on her insured that it happened. Leia was sure this would be the strangest royal wedding since her own. 

Everything was finalized by the end of their six month courtship. No one was particularly surprised when their engagement was announced days later. This ball was infinitely better than the last. “Do we have to do this again?” Poe whined. 

“Yep,” she answered with a grin. “At least I won’t have to watch you dance with every other woman in the room this time.”

He gave her a slow smile. “Were you jealous?” he teasingly asked. 

“Like you weren’t,” she scoffed at him. 

They’d had to dance with a few others but they’d been able to spend most of the night together. And the night marked one major change, the last dance was taken over by her soon to be husband instead of her father. 

The wedding and honeymoon were over before they knew it. Poe had moved back into the palace, no one feeling comfortable with her living on the base. They’d been attacked only once but no one was willing to risk giving someone a second chance. Kes gave up the farm not long after they were married, moving to New Alderaan to be there for the birth of his first grandchild. Rey was technically named after her grandmother Breha, even if she’d always been called by her nickname. It had made sense that they would name their first child after another grandmother, little Shara Dameron was born eleven months after the wedding. And everyone was thrilled that the royal line was secure again. They were all a little less thrilled at the two grown adults who thought their shared granddaughter needed just about every toy under the sun. At least they got over it by the time their other two grandchildren arrived.

**Author's Note:**

> My first story, be kind. 
> 
> Title is totally from the novel the Courtship of Princess Leia. 
> 
> I own nothing.


End file.
